A Second Chance
by Cecilius
Summary: Urahara tricks Ichigo and Rukia to keep them safe after the war becomes a lost cause and the two struggle with their new lives in an alternate past, one joining the Academy and the other doing what she can to prepare past friends for the future war.
1. Travel With Caution

**A/N: I've been a part of this site for a long time now, but never thought about uploading a story until this idea popped into my head. Since summer is coming up I'll probably be in it for the long haul, so read on!**

**Pairings: I won't be pushing anything further then it is in the canon, but that doesn't mean nothing will happen! (no slash)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, just the things I make them do.**

Chapter 1: Travel With Caution

"What? Travel back in time? That's impossible! Why, only a genius could figure out how to do that! How could Urahara-sama even suggest such a thing?" Ichigo and Rukia stared at Urahara's performance, wearing identical expressions of distaste. "Why, even if-"

"Will you shut up and tell us what this thing is, 'cause we don't have time to hear another one of your rants." The three were back under Urahara Shoten and in front of them was a rickety-looking wooden structure that seemed oddly like the makeshift portal to Soul Society from so long ago.

"You wound me, Kurosaki-san. I spend all day and night making the calculations for this, and you don't even bother to thank me?"

"Urahara!" Rukia was starting to get annoyed, and motioned for the shopkeeper to explain after knocking Ichigo to the floor. Despite the usual commotion, the place was eerily quiet with the absence of Tessai, Jinta, and Ururu.

"Very well, Kuchiki-san. For the last few days I've been thinking on how we could salvage the little we have left from the war, when I realized that the answer doesn't lie in the future, but in the past. Crossing through time, in theory, is as simple as crossing to Soul Society or Hueco Mundo. However, the many complications involved in the carrying out of the task would leave any mind slightly less than my genius baffled!" Urahara paused to flash a smile and give his infamous fan a wave. "In simple terms, I've set you up at the best time you could be, plus you'll meld with your past self and that means no complications with two of the same people in the same time. So all _you_ have to do is step through that portal, and then bam! You're there."

"What's the catch?" Ichigo asked from the ground, one eyebrow raised skeptically.

"Well...it's never been tried before, so even though I have no doubt in my incredible genius, there might be complications that no one could ever know existed."

"Like what?" Rukia asked, growing increasingly impatient. Ichigo looked dumbfounded at how they were being used as guinea pigs for one of Urahara's experiments yet again.

The shopkeeper simply flipped his fan and grinned, "I don't know!"

Ichigo got up from the ground, brushed himself off, and punched Urahara in the face, "What do you mean you don't know! What if we get killed? Then the world is more screwed then ever! You said it yourself, only I have the power to stop Aizen. What good will it do to kill me? And why the hell is Rukia coming too?" Rukia looked appalled at the last statement, and knocked Ichigo to the ground again.

"You idiot! Do you really expect to travel to the past by yourself? Without someone to keep your stupid self in check who knows what'll happen. Besides, if you expect me to just wait for you to save the world, you've gone insane. Plus, I'll be in the perfect position to help you regain your shinigami power, if you need it. Now let's go. No matter how risky, this is our best option." She walked past both men and stood by the poorly made wooden structure. Ichigo grumbled something and went to follow her.

"A few last things, Kurosaki-san, Kuchiki-san. Feel free to mess with the time period, but don't do it too early or your foreknowledge could become useless. Also, you need to find each other as soon as possible, so that Kurosaki-san can begin his training again. And don't worry about paradoxes! I have that all figured out." Urahara quickly grinned, but then became more serious. "Realize that you'll see people that you remember as long dead, so please try to control your reactions. As for the matter of Aizen, Ichimaru, and Tousen, you must not let them know what you are planning. This is of utmost importance." The two nodded, then faced the portal.

"Anything else?" Ichigo asked Urahara as he prepared to step through.

"Not about the portal. I have no idea what you'll encounter in there. Just try not to touch anything strange, and go as quickly as possible. Also, Kurosaki-san, Kuchiki-san, you may learn things about your pasts that you couldn't see before." He gave a mysterious smile, and then pushed them through before they could ask any more questions saying, "Bye! Have fun!"

**A/N: A pretty short chapter, but it's the prologue so...please leave a review!**


	2. A Hitch in the Plans

**A/N: Thanks for all of my reviews and support, you guys make my week!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, just the things I make them do.**

Chapter 2: A Hitch in the Plans

"Your son is safe." Urahara said as Isshin walked around one of the rocks in the training room. He was in full shinigami garb, and all traces of humor were gone from his face.

"Good. He wasn't ready yet, and Aizen would've come after him the instant he found out..." Isshin looked regretful about his son's part in the war.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" Urahara asked him, his eyes shadowed by his hat. "Because I can open the portal again and-" Isshin raised a hand to stop the shopkeeper from continuing.

"I'm positive." He pat his zanpaktou a few times, and said solemnly, "I'm gonna try my best to kill the damn bastard, even though it's suicide. It's my duty, both to my position and my...family..."

Urahara put a hand on the former shinigami's shoulder. "We've all lost something to Aizen. Now let's give the son of a bitch as many cuts as we can before we go down!" He unsheathed Benihime and lifted her into the air. "To Yoruichi!"

Isshin followed suit with his own zanpaktou and smiled. "To Yuzu and Karin!"

--

Rukia woke up from her nap with a start. She quickly looked around, cursing herself for letting her guard down when she realized where she was. Her old office in Soul Society. She grabbed one of the hollow eradication forms on her desk and checked the date at the top. _It worked! We're six years in the past! I wonder how Ichigo's doing right now...I hope he made it too. _She tried to remember how she acted six years ago, and realized she was still getting over the death of Kaien-dono and his wife.

_Kaien-dono!_ She leapt out of her seat and rushed out the door, barely registering the first time she saw Sentarou and Kiyone in what seemed like years as she shunpoed by them. People were a blur as Rukia ran on the rooftops, trying to get to the house as quickly as possible. After running for what seemed like hours and wondering how she made it when she was recovering her spiritual energy, she came to a halt at where the Shiba residence was. _Will be_. She corrected herself as she looked on the empty lot in despair.

Distraught, she slowly walked all the way back to her division. "How am I supposed to apologize if I don't know where they live?"

"Apologize to who, Kuchiki?" She looked up and gasped. It was Captain Ukitake! She hadn't seen him since...

Tears sprang to her eyes, unbidden, and she remembered Urahara's warning: _"__Realize that you'll see people that you remember as long dead, so please try to control your reactions."_ "No one, Captain. It's nothing." She said, fighting back her tears. After collecting herself, she put forth a serious face and said, "Are the training grounds available? I need to use them."

Ukitake was taken aback by the sudden change in his subordinate. For many years she had been depressed, doing only her paperwork, and he was getting worried that he would have to demote her since it was most likely affecting her fighting skills. He smiled and said the grounds were open, glad that she was able to get past her grief. If she could train herself enough, which he knew she would, he had a seated position open that Kaien would've wanted her to have.

--

Darkness. Insanity. The cloud surrounded him for what seemed to be an eternity. He couldn't know how long, since he was barely able to get a coherent thought out. All he knew was the sense of emptiness that was not unlike when he was taken over by his hollow...

Then there was a great feeling of pain, unlike anything he had experienced. He found his voice and screamed, and thought he heard a hollow's cry in the distance. The cloud of darkness slowly vanished, and peace engulfed him as he followed a hell butterfly up into the heavens.

--

A year later...

Rukia took a look at the day's paperwork and groaned. Although all she had been doing for the past year was grueling training, paperwork still made her stomach feel uneasy. In fact, she realized she had been so caught up in her training that she hadn't visited any of her old friends. Not that it mattered anyway. As far as she remembered, by now she was still depressed about Kaien, spending most of her time in the office.

Besides, she was now able to recreate her brother's favorite attack, "senka", in which she quick-steps to her opponent's back and seals his spiritual energy in one strike. Not only that, but she could almost release her sword without calling it's name and was working on reaching manifestation of her sword's soul.

She grabbed the stack and took a peek at the day's work. Why she volunteered to do Sentarou and Kiyone's work for the day she'd never know. The majority of the forms detailed the "death" of a hollow and how much money was requested for killing it. Other forms were grant requests to buy new supplies, official letters to the captain, and her least favorite, Ukitake's bill for his medical prescription, which was getting bigger every year. Sighing, she took off the top form. _It's larger than normal. Must have been a pretty bad hollow. _She took one look at the hollow's mask and her heart stopped.

_It looks just like Ichigo's...I don't remember this!_ She flipped through the papers as fast as she could, growing more and more panicked as she read. "_Strong hollow terrorizing Karakura Town for the past two years...strongly attached to a local clinic and it's owners...soul sent to Soul Society resembles a young teen with bright orange hair..._" Rukia stared at the report with wide eyes. There was no doubt about it, the hollow was definitely Ichigo. But how? They had only come to the past a year ago! It said in the report that the hollow had been around for two years...Ichigo would only have been nine...

This couldn't be the past. Something must have gone horribly wrong with Urahara's calculations, because if this was their past then it would have been Ichigo's mother in the report, not Ichigo. _Alternate dimension..._, Rukia thought, her head in her hands_...what have we done?_

--

The next day Rukia decided to treat herself and skipped training to take a long overdue stroll around the grounds. Although it wasn't very relaxing since her mind was working to figure out what had happened and how they could fix it, it was nice to see familiar faces again. After walking through the Thirteenth Division she quickly ran by the Twelfth Division offices and went to the Eleventh, trying to remember if anyone she knew was posted there.

The twists and turns of the unfamiliar division started to get her lost, but soon enough she heard the faint sound of someone yelling and ran towards it.

"...and if I catch you idiots slacking again, I'll call Yumichika to deal with you! Is that clear?" Rukia's head whipped around as she heard a voice she had resigned herself to never hearing again. When he walked around the corner, she couldn't restrain herself and sprinted toward him.

"Renji! Renji! I'm so happy to see you!" She said as she hugged him as hard as she could, forgetting the state of their relationship at that time.

"R-Rukia?" Renji was dumbfounded. They hadn't spoken in more than thirty years, and the whole time he had been training hard to defeat Captain Kuchiki so he could get her back. Why was she here now? "W-What are you doing here?"

Rukia looked up at him in horror as she realized what she'd done and turned to run back saying softly, "I'm sorry Renji...I don't know what came over me..."

"Wait!" Rukia turned around, fighting back tears at Renji's hurt expression. "Rukia...can you just stay for a little while? I mean...if you don't have anything else to do..." She smiled weakly at Renji, who was looking at the ground, shuffling his feet, and mumbling something about her brother.

"Sure Renji." _What harm could it be?_

"R-really? Okay! Come on!" He grabbed her by the wrist and started running towards the Eleventh Division offices.

Unknown to both of them, Ikkaku was watching from the rooftops._ Good job, stupid. I didn't think you had the balls to do it._

**And there's the twist! Next chapter we take a peek at Ichigo's new life in Soul Society, so please leave a review!**


	3. Close Encounters

**A/N: Many thanks to my reviewers again! The chapters are slowly getting longer as I get accustomed to writing this story, but you can still expect weekly updates.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, just the things I make them do.**

Chapter 3: Close Encounters

He was floating peacefully, drifting, a sharp contrast to the cloud of darkness that had once surrounded him. Called to a certain destination as if it was fate, he slowly moved towards a voice in the distance that was growing clearer and sharper with each minute. After what seemed like forever, but might have been no time at all, his drifting came to an unexpected halt and he crashed to the ground, noise flooding his ears.

"This's the last call fer tickets! Hey, you there! Come 'an get yer ticket!" Ichigo looked around in a daze, trying to take in his unfamiliar surroundings. "Hey, kid, did j'ya here me? Come over here and get yer ticket!" When he realized all the yelling was directed at him, he stood up, walked over, and snatched the paper out of the loud man's hand.

"Thanks," he growled and stomped off to join a long line of people. _Wow, why is everyone so tall? Wait a minute...it worked! I'm- _"Last call! Anyone else? No? Alright, here y'all go!" The last thing Ichigo saw was the man pressing a button before he was whisked away to another strange place.

"Crap!", he said when he not so gracefully landed on his back. _Why can't I ever land on my feet...and where the hell am I? _He took in his surroundings and realized the architecture was eerily familiar. Almost apprehensively he looked in the distance and saw the thing he hated most in the world. _Senzaikyuu...wait, why am I in Soul Society? If this is the past, then judging by my height I should be in my early teens...am I dead? Why can't I remember what happened?_

Ichigo looked at the paper the man had given him and read "East Rukongai. 37th District."_ Well this is just great, what am I supposed to do now? I need to find Rukia...and I have to figure out why the timeline is different from my memories_. "Huh? There's something else here..." He opened a small packet to find some Soul Society money. After examining it he figured that if the currency system was the same as in Japan it would be enough cash for a week's worth of food.

Ichigo wandered around the area until he came to the outskirts of the district. He spotted a hill with a large cherry tree in full bloom and raced up to get a better view. Looking around, he saw the Senzaikyuu more clearly, but a few miles away he saw another, more elaborate building near what was probably one of the first districts. He stared at it, trying to remember what it was, but he couldn't ever recall seeing the structure before.

"Do you want to be a shinigami too?" Ichigo jumped and looked around to see a small boy with a round face and curly black hair looking up at him.

"Sh-shinigami?" Ichigo asked, surprised. How had the boy known? Was he thinking out loud?

"Oh, you must be new here. Listen, there are two ways to come to Soul Society. One is if you die normally and a shinigami gives you a soul burial to come to this place. You remember that, don't you?" Ichigo shook his head, both in response to the question and to play along with the little boy's simple explanation. "Oh...then you probably came here as a hollow." Ichigo paled. _What?_ "I have a friend who was a hollow. He says all he can remember of the time is being smothered by an evil presence. The other duty of shinigami is to cleanse the hollows of their sins and send the purified souls to Soul Society." Ichigo was speechless. What if he had killed someone? How could he not remember roaming the human world, probably Karakura Town, and killing people, maybe people he knew?

"Don't be too hard on yourself. There's nothing you can do to change the past." Ichigo laughed out loud at the irony of the statement and figured he would think about the implications later.

"How did you know I wanted to be a Shinigami?" Ichigo asked, trying to act lighthearted. How could he have revealed something so early in the game?

"Um, well you were staring at the Central Reijutsu Academy or the 'Shinigami Academy' like your life depended on it. They should be starting the year's testing really soon, so you came here at the perfect time. I want to be one too, but my spiritual energy isn't developed enough yet. By the way, my name is Vasquez Clodoveo" Ichigo raised an eyebrow, marveling at the boy's incredibly quick dialogue and odd name. "I was born in Spain. I'm pretty sure I died in an apartment fire in Tokyo when I was real little, but I can't remember much."

"Kurosaki Ichigo. I'm from Karakura Town, but I don't remember how I died."

"That seems pretty common. Me remembering as much as I do is really rare, and most people barely know their names and a small part of the time they spent as a spirit. Don't know why though." They fell into silence, until a sudden gust of wind blew the cherry tree they were leaning on and the blossoms scattered around their heads.

"Augh!" Ichigo yelled and panicked, frantically reached for the sword on his back. Not finding it, he thrust his hand to protect his face, wondering what the hell Kuchiki Byakuya was doing in Rukongai and why he was attacking him.

Clodoveo broke into laughter next to him. "Afraid of little cherry blossoms, Ichigo-kun?"

Ichigo came to his senses and turned bright red before looking away from the boy who was laughing again. "Shut up. I've had a few bad experiences with cherry blossoms. Those things are deadly if used properly..." he trailed off, realizing how stupid he sounded.

"Your spiritual energy may be high enough, but you should probably work on your courage before you try becoming a shinigami, Ichigo-kun." Ichigo had turned his back in embarrassment again, so Clodoveo gathered some cherry blossoms and snuck up behind an oblivious Ichigo, then dumped them all on his head.

"Augh!" Ichigo cried and scrambled away from his spot, eager to get away from Kuchiki Byakuya's deadly shikai. He looked back and realized he had made a fool of himself again when he spotted Clodoveo doubled over in laughter. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" Ichigo yelled angrily at the boy, pointing at the rapidly setting sun.

"Oh no! Mom'll kill me!" Clodoveo jumped up and started racing away saying, "It was nice meeting you, Ichigo-kun! Good luck on becoming a shinigami!" Ichigo smirked and waved back, then turned towards the Academy. _ I should set out tomorrow. __Judging by the distance I can make it in less than a day. And if I become an official shinigami, then I'll be able to meet up with Rukia. Besides, I'll fly through the lessons since I'm great at Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohou...oh shit._

_Kidou._

--

"And she hugged me out of nowhere!" Clang! "I don't know what the hell she was thinking..." Clang! "...I mean, aren't nobles supposed to stay away from us lower-class shinigami?" Bang! The blades met with enough force to send a distracted Renji flying backwards to hit the opposite wall. "Crap, ow!"

"Don't let your guard down, stupid! No matter what happened, you're still not through Kuchiki Byakuya!" Renji and Ikkaku were in the Eleventh Division training grounds as usual that morning, and Renji was adamant on relaying the entire episode of the previous day to his mentor. Ikkaku smirked, "Anything good happen?"

"Eh?" Renji stopped his sword for a moment and Ikkaku sliced his shoulder. Renji grabbed his injury and grimaced in pain. "Oh, that was cheap! You knew I would do that!"

Ikkaku grinned, and motioned for the fight to start again. "Your opponent won't hesitate to use anything and everything against you. Be prepared, or you'll get killed no matter how good of a fighter you are!" Clang! Clang! "How close are you to Bankai?"

"I still have a long ways to go..." Clang! "...but Rukia said 'See you later!' Can you believe it?"

"I don't care what Rukia said!" Clang! "As long as Kuchiki Byakuya's better than you..." Clang! "...it doesn't matter what Rukia says! She'll always be pulled away from you again!" Ikkaku accentuated the statement with a strong attack that sent Renji flying again.

--

Ichigo looked at the beautiful sunrise, the scenery oddly devoid of any of the buildings and lights he was used to. After a little mental preparation he stood up to start his journey to become a "real" shinigami.

"Hey, Ichigo-kun! Wait!" He turned around to see Clodoveo running after him. Ichigo had just used a good portion of his money to buy a bag and a few days worth of food, and was about to head through the gates to the Shinigami Academy. "Wait!"

"What are you doing here, Clodoveo-san? I have to go."

The small boy started digging through his pockets. "I wanted to see you off and give you this!" He held out his hand to show him an oddly shaped pink rock. "I found it near my house a few years ago, and I've kept it for good luck. You can keep it, though, so in a few years when you're a famous shinigami you'll remember me!"

Ichigo frown softened, and he looked closer at the rock. "It has a strange resemblance to a cherry blossom." He said, his face returning to his trademark scowl.

Clodoveo grinned even wider. "That's the other reason why you should have it. Maybe you'll get over your fear of cherry trees of you keep it with you!" The boy ran over to Ichigo's bag and shoved the rock inside. "Don't forget to visit me! My mom says I can try the entrance exams in two years, so maybe I'll see you."

"Alright. See you later, Clodoveo-san." He said as he picked up his bag and turned to walk away.

"Bye, Kurosaki Ichigo!"

--

"Rukia."

Said girl looked up from her dinner, surprised her brother had chosen to break the traditional silence. "Yes, nii-sama?"

"I will be going to the First Division for official business, and you should accompany me." Byakuya barely looked at her as he spoke.

"Yes, nii-sama." She had been thinking about visiting Renji this afternoon, but figured it could wait until tomorrow. _Still, why do I have such a bad feeling about this trip?_ She tried to remember what would happen, but she and her brother had been on so many outings over the decades that it was difficult to pinpoint only one. She could only hope her intuition was wrong as she finished her meal in silence.

--

After running for hours, and using his spiritual energy to keep his stamina up (and maybe slipping in a shunpo or two), Ichigo could clearly see the Shinigami Academy. Over one of the walls there were students in official red and blue uniforms purposefully walking in different directions, and over another were what seemed like hundreds of souls milling about in average Rukongai clothing. _That's probably for the entrance exams_, he thought as he walked over to the second wall.

He quickly reached a tall shinigami in front of the wall who held a gigantic book and looked extremely bored. "Name?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

The gangly man scribbled something in the book, then carelessly waved his hand at the entrance. "Go on through." Two large doors opened and he walked past the wall to wait with the other hopefuls. Finding a comfortable spot on a short grassy ledge, he sat down and opened his bag to find some food.

"Excuse me." He looked next to him to see a short girl with long brown hair. "Could you spare an apple? I didn't think to bring food...I didn't know the wait would be this long." Ichigo dug through his bag until he found one and handed it to her, not speaking since his mouth was full. "Thank you." The girl said, before devouring the apple like she hadn't eaten in centuries.

Ichigo looked at her strangely. "How long has it been since you ate?"

"Um, it took me a day and a half to get here, and I've been here since noon today, so...about two days?" Ichigo's eyes widened, and he went back to his bag and started flinging food at her. She yelled in surprise and frantically tried to catch all the food.

"Why didn't you tell me that sooner, stupid! Do you think that's enough?" She nodded. "What's your name? And how long are we going to wait?"

"My name is Minobe Kaeda. They've been going through names alphabetically ever since I got here, and I'm pretty sure they're in the late H's...so they'll probably get to me tomorrow morning. It takes a really long time to test each person."

"What? Tomorrow morning? Damn!" He scowled more than usual and put away the food he didn't feel like eating. "Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Huh?"

"That's my name, stupid."

"Oh, sorry." They sat in silence and watched as the sun slowly set. Finally, the girl turned towards Ichigo. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow. I need to find somewhere soft to lie down. Thanks for the food." She yawned, stood up, waved, and walked away towards a grassy area with a large tree above it. Noticing that area was filling up quickly, Ichigo scooted back on his ledge and stretched out, using his nearly-empty bag as a pillow.

--

"Good mornin', Cap-tain-Ku-chi-ki." Rukia was frozen. Her face immediately broke into a sweat. She could've handled Tousen. She could even have handled Aizen, the bastard. But the terribly familiar feeling of snakes constricting her was now joined by burning hate for Renji, Ururu, and Jinta's killer. She quickly closed her eyes, trying to calm her breathing. _"...you must not let them know what you are planning. This is of utmost importance."_

"Lookin' a little faint there, Ru-ki-a-chan. Are ya gettin' sick?" Rukia looked up to see Gin smiling down at her, and struggled to stop herself from stabbing the man with her zanpaktou right then and there.

"No, it's nothing..." She looked at her brother, and ground out "..._Captain_ Ichimaru."

**A/N: There's a few OC's in this one, but don't worry about any pairings since right now Ichigo's only "eleven" years old. Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	4. The Deciding Battle

**A/N: A special thank you to _CO Raven_ who was my only reviewer last chapter and whose comments are very helpful to catch things I've missed. Things are heating up in this chapter!  
**

Chapter 4: The Deciding Battle

"Hey, Kurosaki-kun. Kurosaki-kun!"

"Inoue? Huh?" Ichigo woke up with a start, looking around for his friend before he remembered her sad fate. She had been fatally wounded by Aizen and was in a coma that Unohana had said she could never wake up from. Their war efforts had never recovered once innocent Orihime was gone. Shaking his head, he quickly brushed aside the old, painful memories and addressed the present. "Oh, sorry, it's you...um..."

"Minobe Kaeda. I just wanted to tell you that they started calling names again. Who's Inoue?" She sat down next to him on the ledge and started absent-mindedly plucking at the grass.

"She's a friend I used to have. When I was alive, I mean." He said, looking down sadly. She would still be living happily with her brother right now...

Minobe looked up at him in surprise. "You remember when you were alive? That's amazing! You must have had a ton of spiritual energy!" Ichigo stared at her like she was crazy. Minobe sighed, "You know that every person has spiritual energy, no matter how little, right?" He nodded. "Well, it's that energy that helps you remember your past when you come here. Those with the lowest amount can only remember their names, but you must have had a lot to remember one of your friends. Can you recall anything else?" She stopped plucking the grass, suddenly curious about his past.

"Uh...no, sorry." _Knowing anything more would probably suspicious. I've already made myself out to be abnormal..._

"Oh. Okay." She turned back and they watched as another person came back from the exam room. His shoulders were slumped as he picked up his satchel and slowly walked out of the area. _Didn't make it. From the looks of it this probably isn't his first time taking the test._

The two sat in silence until the quiet was abruptly disturbed, at least for Ichigo. _"Che. I'm bored." _Ichigo's eyes widened._ "Hey, Your Majesty, ya here me? Hello-o?" _Apparently not being in contact with Zangetsu didn't affect his inner hollow.

_Shut up and go away. I can't deal with you right now._ He had been hoping to gain a little peace from his hollow since he wasn't a proper shinigami in this world, but it seemed nothing was going according to plan.

Minobe looked at him."Hey, are you okay? You look a little anxious." He kept his gaze straight ahead, trying not to betray any more emotions.

_"Like I'll disappear that easily. How come you're not fighting anymore? The old man's been awful quiet lately."  
_

"The tests aren't that bad, really. Sure, this is my second time taking it, but that's because the only subject I knew anything about was zanjutsu." She smirked. "And my knowledge of zanjutsu just scratched the surface!" Ichigo smiled a little to placate her and started to get anxious about the examination. How should he act, strong or maybe normal for once?

_"You're pathetic."_

--

Rukia quickly walked back to her room in Kuchiki Manor, well aware of her brothers eyes on her back, making sure she didn't leave the mansion. The moment she got in the room she locked the door, threw herself on her bed, and closed her eyes. _It's been a long few days, but I've got to figure this out..._

She rubbed her temples and began to think. Urahara had said they would merge with their past souls, which would explain why she had to build up her strength and stamina again. She also could feel a slight increase in her spiritual energy because of the merge, but not enough to put her in the Vice-Captain range yet._ Not to mention the Hougyoku is stuck in my soul again._ But what did it all mean for Ichigo? Would he come to Soul Society as a shinigami or a regular spirit? Or a combination? Would he retain his appearance or become younger? And what about his inner hollow, did it vanish when they merged or become stronger? Also, Ichigo was technically still alive, since his real body had been kept safe during the war. Would the merge with his other self affect that? _It's all so confusing! I don't see why Urahara didn't explain everything beforehand, since he must have known about this some...how..._

_ "And don't worry about paradoxes! I have that all figured out."_

Rukia gave an exasperated growl and punched her bed._ That bastard! It's impossible to travel back in time without causing a paradox. The only way he could have removed the threat was to not be planning to send us back in time at all! But why?_ She frowned. "I'll have to ask him myself."

--

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

Minobe gasped and jumped off the ledge, beaming up at him. "Good luck Kurosaki-kun!"

Ichigo waved as he walked away. "Thanks Minobe-san. Watch my bag, will you?"

As the doors closed behind him he quickly took in his surroundings out of habit. There were two men and a woman having a quiet conversation at the back of a well lit room. Along the wall behind them were a series of wooden weapons of all shape and sizes.

"Kurosaki Ichigo?" The woman said as she left her comrades and walked up to meet him. She reminded him of the Vaizard Lisa in her looks, albeit a little gray hair, but carried herself in a way that reminded him of that stupid jerk Ishida. Her shinigami uniform seemed to be specially tailored for fighting and had the academy symbol on the front. "My name is Funaki Yuuka. The man on my left is Joshuyo Naoto," he was in full shinigami garb and had a clipboard in his hands, "and the man on my right is Tanaka Yuudai." He too was in full uniform but had wire-rimmed glasses and a small book which he kept flipping through.

"There are three portions to this exam, hakuda and hohou, zanjutsu, and finally kidou. If you are prepared we will start the hakuda/hohou portion of testing. I will be your opponent and the two in the back will be judging your performance. Remember that I am a fully trained shinigami, so just try your best. Are you ready?" She said this all very quickly and precisely, probably from saying it thousands of times before, and got into a fighting stance. Ichigo followed suit and readied his strategy. _If she goes easy on me, I'll match her. If she goes full out, I'll let her win. _Funaki ran at him and cautiously aimed a kick to his head, which he easily blocked with his arm._ She's going easy._

_"Hah! This'll be fun to watch. We haven't been in a good fight for awhile." _Ichigo smirked. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the man with the clipboard writing something down.

_It won't be that great. I'm not going full out, _Ichigo thought at his hollow as he remained on the defensive with Funaki.

_"Why the hell not? The better skill you show the faster we can get out of this place and fight some real battles! Besides, you don't have to hide anything. You're the King, make them respect you!" _Funaki was starting to make her hits harder and quicker and Ichigo continued to match her while thinking over his options.

"C'mon kid, I know you can do better than that! Stop holding back!" Ichigo frowned in concentration and started on the offensive._ You want a fight? I'll give you a fight._ His smaller size gave him more agility, plus he was able to evade her attacks more easily than if he was at his full height, but he certainly wasn't as strong as he was used to. _Damn it, I should have trained a bit before I came here, in the state I'm in I'd be surprised if I could lift a sword!_

_"Wow, did time travel mess up your head? Use your spiritual energy, idiot, or I'll come out and fight this battle for you!"_

Ichigo rolled his eyes. _No need to be so harsh._ He took advantage of the pause in their fight to use the little control he had over his spiritual energy and make it empower his arms and legs. _I never really was able to get the hang of this. That's partially why I'm here. _Funaki turned back to her fellow examiners and confirmed that they were taking their notes on Ichigo's performance. She then rushed back into the battle, eager for a fight that lasted more than the usual two minutes.

After fighting evenly for what seemed like hours Ichigo was getting tired. _My stamina isn't what it used to be. Or is going to be. Gah, this is so confusing!_ Funaki called out "You're pretty good! How long have you been in Soul Society?" He remembered that appearance doesn't mean how old a person was in Soul Society, and Rukia was a prime example.

"I don't know, maybe ten years? I haven't kept track!" He said as he twisted to dodge a blow to the stomach.

She didn't show any reaction, and Ichigo hoped he had said the right thing. "Seems like you have previous training in hand-to-hand combat. Who taught you?" She easily dodged Ichigo's kick.

"I studied karate for some time when I was alive." Then he realized his mistake. _Crap! Was I supposed to be able to remember that? _His distraction cost him a scratch to the face.

Funaki looked mildly surprised, then shunpoed around him. "We're adding in hohou now. Can you keep up?" Before she could finish the sentence Ichigo appeared her and tried unsuccessfully to sweep her feet out from under her.

"Can you?" They fought for a long time, attacking, blocking, and quick stepping, until Ichigo saw Funaki use a unique move. From what he could tell, she gathered a bit of energy beneath her foot and spun it quickly, using the momentum to swing her other foot around and gaze his stomach. It took some time to recover from the defensive, but few minutes later he had a good enough opening to try the same move back at her. Granted, the energy under his foot wasn't nearly as stable as hers, and he couldn't spin as quickly, but he was able to land his first hit on her. His instructor didn't hide her surprise, and suddenly looked extremely frustrated.

Wondering what could have aggravated Funaki enough to make her drop her cool facade he allowed his tired body to slow down even more, and when the instructor aimed a quick kick to his hip he let it hit. _Shit, that hurt,_ he thought as he went flipping through the air and smashed into the wall near the other two shinigami.

"Are you alright Kurosaki?" She asked as she calmly walked over to him, all frustration gone.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He got up and stretched, making sure everything still worked. _Hip's gonna ache tomorrow..._

"Good. Please wait a moment." She walked over to her colleagues and started talking quietly, while Ichigo sat in a chair on the other side of the room and tried unsuccessfully to read their lips.

After about five minutes, which Ichigo thought was more to let him rest then to discuss him, Funaki walked over to where he sat. "The next portion is zanjutsu. Look at the weapons along the wall and choose the one most suited to you." Ichigo quickly scanned the wall taking in the shapes and sizes of the wooden swords, and eventually chose a slim six-foot long sword, it's shape similar to his bankai.

He noticed it was extremely heavy and foreign compared to Zangetsu which was simply a part of him, but it was to be expected of the crude wooden weapon. He wondered how long he would be forced to use these in the academy, since- _"Stop thinking and fight!"_

_Shut up or I won't spar with you anymore, _he thought back to the grumbling hollow as his and Funaki's wooden swords crashed together. They quickly came to a standstill, each was pushing against the other with equal force until they jumped backwards, acknowledging the other's ability with a nod before adding shunpo to the mix.

**A/N: I actually had a lot a trouble writing this chapter, so I hope it turned out ok. Please review, because it helps me make the story better!  
**


	5. Lucky Number Ichi

**A/N: Thank you all so, so much for your reviews! I love writing this story and it's nice to know my work is appreciated. **

**To answer Shezza88's question, since we won't be reaching that part in the story for a while, during the two year period when Ichigo was a hollow he managed to devour many souls, but luckily the Kurosaki household was kept safe by a shield made by Tessai on the special request of Isshin. No one else of major importance (Orihime, Chad, Tatsuki, etc.) were devoured by the hollow, since I couldn't bring myself to do it. **

**Disclaimer (for previous chapter also, since I forgot. Oops!): I don't own the characters, just the things I make them do.**

Chapter 5: Lucky Number Ichi

_"I have to say that you've hit a new low. Kurosaki Ichigo, the once mighty vaizard, feared by many, sparring against a pathetic shinigami with a wooden stick." _It was about three minutes into the fight and Ichigo's hollow hadn't stopped chattering since the beginning. _"When I felt your energy shift I thought we were gonna have a real battle, not play a stupid little game."_ Ichigo gritted his teeth and tried to stay focused, which was hard when the voice inside his head wouldn't shut it's big, stupid mouth. _"That was completely uncalled for! You get in here and I'll show you a real battle, Your Idiotic Majesty."_

The hollow was again ignored as Ichigo put his all into the fight. It wasn't often that he couldn't defeat his opponent with a quick Getsuga Tenshou, so he wanted to take full advantage of sparring equally against an older shinigami to see how he ranked. _She's still underestimating me._ He thought as Funaki paused during what would have been a good opening for her, instead aiming at somewhere he could easily block. _I can use that to my advantage._

He used one last strike that he had picked up from her earlier, in which he quick-stepped to stand the ceiling and immediately jumped down to drive his sword towards his enemy. _Only convenient in an enclosed environment, though it might work on walls..._he slowed down his blows as he had in hakuda, as if tiring and his examiner slowed to match his speed. Their swords met a few more times until Ichigo saw her guard had dropped enough and suddenly increased his speed to far above when they started out._ I've still got it,_ he thought as he quick-stepped multiple times and feinted around a confused Funaki until finally landing right behind her, his "sword" at her throat.

_"So impressive, King. I'm just completely in awe of your amazing abilities with the wooden stick." _Ichigo scowled as Funaki turned around. She had another strange look on her face, but he didn't really care what she thought about him. He had to mentally prepare himself for kidou portion of the test. _"Have I mentioned that you're pathetic? Oh no, it's kidou! My worst enemy! Save-"_

_SHUT UP!_

_--_

Rukia kept her composure all the way down the walkway from Kuchiki Manor. She even kept it past the Seventh Division's Headquarters. When she reached the Eighth however, she gave a frustrated yell and punched the wall next to her. Now yelling in pain, she slid down the wall and clutched her hand. _I'm not some child that needs to be babysat!_ She had gone to ask her brother if she could be assigned to the Karakura post and relieve the soon to be retired shinigami four years early. He of course had refused, saying she wasn't ready, and subsequently ruined all her plans.

She couldn't interrogate Urahara (why bother with secrecy when he would find out anyway?), she couldn't develop early relationships with all their old friends, and most of all she couldn't fully investigate the cause of the difference between their old world and this one. She had no idea where Ichigo was, she was barely getting any stronger, and she would have to watch all of her friends die all over again. She sniffed once as she stood up and pulled back to punch the wall again, but stopped at the last second and decided to find something softer exert her anger on.

--

Ichigo watched in horror as the smoke cleared from the wall, revealing a hole larger than the doors he had first walked through. _Oh shit. I'm in big trouble. I knew this would happen! _The hakuda and hohou had gone better than expected. He had done amazing in zanjutsu. _Damn you kidou... _

This is what Rukia so aptly nicknamed his "war kidou." He only knew a few Way of Destruction spells, and the few he did know were packed with spiritual energy and unrefined. Of course, in a war situation the only thing you needed to worry about was killing as many things as you could with one shot, not the textbook definition of how the spell should be. Thus the gigantic hole in the wall. Faintly he could hear his inner hollow laughing hysterically, but ignored it once again to slowly turn and look at his instructor. She too was staring at the wall in disbelief. Of course, it was just his luck that the wall he had blasted to pieces led out to the waiting area.

People were running over to see what happened, so Ichigo ran across the room as far away from the hole as possible. Meanwhile Funaki snapped back to her senses. "Is anyone hurt?" Murmurs of dissent answered her as people tried to peek in and see what caused the blast. Minobe Kaeda also looked in and seemed concerned, knowing that Ichigo was going through his examination. "Good. Joshuyo, Tanaka, get a cloth to cover this hole. Testing is supposed to be _confidential_." She looked harshly down on the other students and they quickly scurried away from the gaping hole.

"Yes, ma'am!" The two shinigami saluted and shunpoed away.

"Okay, Kurosaki. Wait here while I get the Spirit-Energy Level Monitor." She smiled down at him. "And welcome to the Central Spiritual Technique Academy for Shinigami."

--

"It's 'bout that time again, Cap-tain. Me, you, or Tousen?"

"I'll go this time, Gin. Keep an eye on my office."

"You betcha, Captain."

Aizen Sousuke walked out of the Fifth Division offices and headed towards the First Division. Every year since Tousen had joined their ranks one of the three made sure to be visiting the General when Funaki Yuuka, the Vice-Principal of Shinigami Academy and the Chief Official of the Entrance Examinations came to give her report. It was this method that allowed them to discover Kira Izuru and Hinamori Momo, and also to later eradicate the threat of Abarai Renji.

It was halfway through his tea with Yamamoto when Funaki walked in holding large folder filled with the new student's files, looking more agitated then normal. "Applicants worse than the usual, Vice-Principal Funaki?" Yamamoto asked.

"No sir, quite the opposite." Aizen looked up from his tea, suddenly interested. "The majority did as well as expected, but I wouldn't be surprised if one student matched Captain Ichimaru's academy record."

"You mean graduate in only a year?" Aizen inquired, his mind racing. _To another person__ like that on our side..._

Funaki nodded, and pulled out a file with a young boy sporting bright orange hair on the front. "The boy was unlike anything I've ever seen. His name is Kurosaki Ichigo, seems to be in his early teens, and he said he's been in Soul Society for only ten years. He was able to fight me almost equally in hakuda and could keep up with my mid-level hohou, and I wouldn't be surprised if he could beat me, a retired high-ranking officer in the Secret Mobile Corps, after a few years. If I didn't know better, I'd say he'd already been through the Academy!" Yamamoto motioned for her to continue after the information sunk in. "Yes sir. His spiritual control needs a little work...by the way, Captain Aizen, I need to speak with you after this."

"And his zanjutsu?" Yamamoto asked, opening one eye and leaning forward a bit to hear her response.

Funaki looked at them seriously. "He landed what would have been a fatal hit on me in less than five minutes. He didn't use any unnecessary attacks, almost as if he could anticipate my every move. I also found that if I used one of my own developed techniques he threw it right back at me after seeing it once. Once in the hakuda exam and once in zanjutsu I decided to test his reaction to techniques he had never seen, but he simply copied the moves I spent months developing! It was incredibly frustrating..." She mumbled to the floor, then addressed to two again. "The boy seems destined for a high ranking position. His growth rate is simply incredible and he seems to have an innate ability to fight."

Aizen was shocked, and didn't even bother to hide it. "What? How...what level was his spiritual energy?"

She looked at the both of them very seriously. "Level 9, or Vice Captain's Level. The last person to have that level at the time of the entrance exam and with a dormant zanpaktou was promoted to the Zero Division over 150 years ago."

--

"You wanted to speak with me Funaki-chan?" They met outside Yamamoto's office and started walking together.

"Yes Captain. Would you dispatch a team to fix the hole in the wall of the exam room? Kurosaki put a little too much force behind his kidou. We're also need a new supply of wooden swords, the current ones look like they're about to fall apart."

Aizen laughed lightheartedly. "Sure thing, Funaki-chan. Also, could you spare me one of those files on Kurosaki Ichigo? I would like to know a little more about him, since I think he would be a great addition to the Fifth Division." He gave a warm smile, nothing out of the ordinary.

"I guess it couldn't hurt," she replied, "but you should come visit the Academy and see him yourself, Captain. We haven't had you in over thirty years."

"Don't worry Funaki-chan. I would love to visit."_ Now that I have a reason to._

--

"...and then Kira threw up and passed out right on Matsumoto!" Renji and Rukia were bent over in hysterical laughter when Ikkaku and Yumichika walked into the room.

"Do you have anything to spare for two poor fools who spent all morning trying to restrain the Captain?" Ikkaku asked as he sat down. Yumichika just leaned against the wall and started fixing his hair.

"Yeah, sure. What'd the Captain do now?" Ikkaku took the cup Renji offered and downed its contents in one quick gulp.

"He heard the rumor about the newest prodigy and wanted to go to the Academy and fight him. Couldn't get it through his thick skull that the poor bastard hasn't even got his own zanpaktou yet. And Yachiru wasn't helping either." Yumichika made a growling noise in the corner. "Fine, I won't tell them about it." He leaned in and whispered "But pretty-boy had to spend four hours in front of a mirror to-" Ikkaku was cut off suddenly when a decorative statue hit him in the head. "Son of a bitch!"

"What rumor, Ikkaku-san?" Rukia asked before the two could get into a fight.

"Eh? You haven't heard?" The two shook their heads. "They just had the Entrance Exams for the Shinigami Academy, and there's a kid that just got in and has Level 9 spiritual energy." Renji and Rukia were shocked. _How did I miss this before? Was I that cut off from everything? _Rukia thought. "Not only that, but his entrance exam was one of the highest ever seen. He was on par with the examiner in hakuda and hohou, _beat_ her in zanjutsu in record time, and blasted a ten-foot hole in the wall with Way of Destruction No. 31."

"What the hell? How old is this kid?" Renji seemed skeptical about the whole thing.

"Well, Matsumoto said he's been in Soul Society for ten years, but you know her..." Ikkaku was right. Matsumoto tended to blow out the rumors to make them more interesting, and was therefore known for being unreliable. "But his name starts with 'Ichi'! Didn't I always say that people with 'Ichi' in their names are destined for greatness?" Rukia's eyes widened. _Ichigo! Of course!_

She stood up suddenly. "I have to go! Thanks for the tea, Renji!" She yelled as she shunpoed away, leaving Renji confused and staring at the spot she occupied only three seconds ago.

Ikkaku just made a face. "What the hell, Abarai? I thought you were drinking sake!

**A/N: Next time we'll be seeing Ichigo at the Academy! Please leave a review!**


	6. A Strange Reunion

**A/N: Wow, so many reviews! I can't say how much I appreciate each one! Now for a few quick answers:  
**

**Bakageta: Unfortunately Ichigo's hollow isn't that easy to get rid of. The way I see it, when a soul is turned into a hollow a shell forms outside the soul that is only based on instincts and the need to feed on others. This shell is easily destroyed with a slice to the mask, and then exposes the unharmed soul underneath. When a shinigami becomes a vaizard a hollow instead forms safe inside their soul, otherwise the hollow would be killed with a simple slice of the mask.**

**CO Raven: Ichigo really doesn't need to keep a low profile about his skill in zanjutsu, etc, since his skills aren't as unusual as they seems to be (Ichimaru finished the Academy in one year, Hitsugaya is the youngest captain in history). The only thing he has to be wary of is showing to much knowledge of his zanpaktou (shikai and bankai) and people he used to know. Also, as noticed by Orihime, Ichigo's energy only turns hollow-like when his hollow is trying to take over, or when he's using his vaizard abilities.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, only the things I make them do. The first paragraph from this chapter is taken directly out of the anime and doesn't belong to me either.  
**

Chapter 6: A Strange Reunion

"Welcome, new students. Our Central Spiritual Technique Institute is an academic institution with a long tradition of creating future Secret Mobile Corps and Thirteen Court Guardian Squad members. I want you all to apply yourselves everyday so that you are not embarrassed by that tradition."

Ichigo was standing in the main building of the Shinigami Academy along with all the new students, listening to the Principal of the Institution make his annual speech. Looking around, which was much harder since he was so short, he was happy to see that he wasn't the only one with an odd hair color. He could see a few blonds, balds, a bright green, and a dark purple. Best of all, there was no hair dye in Soul Society, so everyone's hair was natural._ Wow, you've finally gotten into the Shinigami Academy and all you can think about is people's hair color,_ Ichigo thought to himself.

He was also happy to see he wasn't the only "young" one enrolled before remembering once again that size didn't matter here. _Rukia, Hitsugaya, and Aizen's Vice-Captain all looked very young. I wonder if the growth rate is different here?_ He wasn't very happy at the idea of being this small for who knows how long, and was still disgruntled when the large group shuffled out of the building.

"All new students this way! Dormitory assignments are on on your schedules! Curfew is at 10:00 p.m., classes start at 8:00 a.m. sharp! All new students this way!" Ichigo pushed his way through the crowd towards the voice and found a familiar face. His examiner (_was it Funaki?_) was handing out schedules to each student as they walked by. He grabbed his then scanned the large crowd and was happy to see the girl that he had waited with a few days ago. He jogged to catch up to her as he tried to remember her name.

"Kurosaki-kun! What class did they put you in? I made First! Can you believe it? I've been training for 20 years but I never thought I'd make First!" She had a big smile on her face and was talking extremely fast while bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Huh? Class?" He decided to ignore the fact that the girl (_Minobe?_) had gone insane.

"What! You didn't check your card?" She grabbed it out of his hand and peered intently before breaking into an even larger smile. "You're with me! Wow, First Class, Kurosaki-kun. And you only took the exam once! This was my second time, after a lot of training when I failed the first."

"So...what do we do now?"

"Eh? You don't know?" Ichigo just stared at her. "We have to go to the office building over there to pick out our extra classes."

"Extra classes?"

Minobe gave an exasperated sigh. "Do you know _anything_, Kurosaki-kun?" Ichigo scowled and turned away, but it didn't have as much of an effect as when he was taller. "Fine. Along with the core classes you can also take other subjects, ranging from extra kidou lessons to science and math courses. Of course, only people who want to be in the Twelfth Division would take those classes."

Ichigo looked at her strangely. "How do you know so much about this place? Did I miss a handout or something?"

"I had a friend who enlisted. He's in the Kidou Corps now..." She looked upset so Ichigo dropped the subject. They walked in silence again until they reached the smaller building with a long list of extra classes to take. Ichigo eventually chose a spiritual energy control class, zanpaktou meditation seminar, a physical fitness program, and extra zanjutsu and hakuda courses. Minobe also chose an extra zanjutsu and the fitness program, along with a short Soul Society History course.

"Wow, Kurosaki-kun, you're schedule is packed! Why are you taking so many classes? You'll barely ever get a day off!", Minobe said as they were given their updated schedules. The two made their way out of the building and onto the grounds.

"Hey what're you talking about? You're taking a stupid history class! All these classes actually sound interesting, so I want to take as many as I can. I can always change later if it's too much." He put on a fake smile, knowing the real reason why he wanted so much behind his belt.

--

Rukia quickly cleared the gate to Rukongai and ran as fast as she could to the large building in the distance, recalling the conversation she had a few days ago.

_She ran to Ukitake as soon as she had heard of Ichigo's acceptance to the Academy, leaving Renji, Ikkaku, and Yumichika behind. Hopping over the walls of her division her slammed open the door to Ukitake's office._

"_Captain!" Ukitake looked up from his desk, and regarded an extremely frazzled and windblown Rukia._

"_Kuchiki? What's the problem?"_

"_Could you please allow me to go to the Shinigami Academy!?" Her eyes were so desperate and pleading that Ukitake couldn't turn her down._

"_Of course Kuchiki. But I have to ask you to wait a few days before taking a day off, since the new students haven't even gotten their room assignments yet. May I ask what's so urgent?" He gave a caring smile and urged Rukia to sit on one of the chair in the office._

"_I just heard that an old friend was accepted, Kurosaki Ichigo."_

_"Really? You know the new prodigy?" He chuckled and gazed off into the distance. "Sometimes it seems like such a small world."_

She barely took in the sight of the familiar campus before rushing past stunned students and checking the roster posted outside the main building for Ichigo's dormitory number. Rukia realized she was so early that Ichigo was probably only on his way to his dorm room. She took off towards his dormitory, knowing the way since it used to be Renji's building, before she saw familiar bright orange hair.

"Ichigo!" Ichigo had just left the office building and was listening to Minobe ramble on how interesting history can be when he turned around to see a short blurred figure that looked to be in shinigami robes quickly closing in. Minobe also stopped talking and turned to see who would be calling her new friend.

"Augh!" Ichigo yelled as the figure crashed into him at an amazing speed and the two tumbled for a few feet, before landing with Rukia on top of Ichigo. "Rukia!", he said in surprise.

"You idiot! I'm going to-" She pulled back to punch him before she stopped, regarding him with an odd expression.

Ichigo didn't like the looks of that and scrambled to his feet while she was distracted. "What?", he said a bit apprehensively.

"I'm...you..." She struggled to get the words out before she screamed, "You're so cute! You're...you're cuter than Chappy!" She laughed at him and tried to grab him, but Ichigo scrambled away.

"You're crazy, you bitch! Stay away from me!" He started to sprint towards the building but Rukia quickly caught up with him using shunpo.

"I can't believe it! You're a midget! Wow, wait 'til I show Renj-" Her eyes widened and her grin faded as she realized what she said. The two looked away, suddenly remembering why they were in their current situation. Rukia sighed and looked at the setting sun. "Ichigo, we've got a lot to discuss."

He nodded, then looked towards Minobe, who was staying away to give them privacy but clearly getting impatient. "I can't talk right now, plus curfew is coming up. Meet me at Yoruichi's hideout on my next day off." He glanced at his schedule. "Five days from today, at noon." She nodded, obeying his orders out of habit, and smiled at him one last time before quick-stepping off again.

--

Ichigo arrived at his new room with no difficulty, and was currently unpacking the little he had. The room was tiny, with a small bed, a desk and chair, a dresser, and one window. The dorm bathroom was unfortunately all the way down the hall and his room three stories up, but Ichigo didn't mind the exercise._ I'm just grateful we don't have to share rooms like in the real world, _Ichigo thought as he placed Clodoveo's pink rock in a desk drawer. He would be free to train and talk with his zanpaktou without anyone asking questions. Ichigo regarded the purple walls and tarnished floors in distaste and made a note to ask if they could alter their room's design.

_"Let's fix up the trim and re-upholster the furniture while we're at it, King of Strawberries."_ Ichigo rolled his eyes at his hollow and opened the dresser, happy to see extra outfits and workout clothes. They were all extra-smalls, he noted with disdain. Ichigo stretched and yawned, then collapsed on the bed. _It's been a stressful few days, but now it'll be smooth sailing._ Ichigo grabbed his schedule and looked at it once more.

_**Kurosaki Ichigo: First Class**  
_

_Monday:_

_8:00-9:30 Fitness Program  
_

_10:00-12:30 Kidou Theory/Training  
_

_2:00-4:00 Zanjutsu Training_

_4:30-8:00 Zanpaktou Meditation_

Ichigo flung the schedule across the room and put his head in his hands. _What the hell have I gotten myself into? Two and a half hours of kidou! How did Renji do it?_ He took off his uniform and got in bed, mentally preparing himself for a great deal of humiliation the next day.

--

"Hah!" Rukia's blade danced around the training dummy, putting large gashes in it's side that were automatically healed with who-knows-what the Twelfth Division put in there. Having six more years of fighting experience than she would have, plus more than one year spent fighting a war and this past year in vigorous training, Rukia knew she wouldn't be beat so easily this time around. She had also started to work on achieving bankai since the war started, and if she kept it up she might achieve it in time for this war.

Rukia cleaved the dummy in half when she heard clapping behind her. She quickly turned and pointed her sword at the figure before realizing it was only Renji. He brushed the sword away and said, "Hey, get your little stick away from me, midget."

Rukia fumed and leapt at Renji. "I'll show you what this little stick can do, you bastard!" The redhead brought his own zanpaktou up to meet Rukia's and the two started to battle. Rukia was used to using her height as an advantage and kept Renji's guard up from below while their blades collided with equal force. Renji was surprised at his friend's improvement, even if he was holding back a little, and decided to taunt her a bit to see if she dropped her guard.

"I dunno Rukia, I don't think you'll ever catch up with me. Have you gotten worse?" Rukia's expression didn't change as they pulled back for another strike, but when the swords hit he was suddenly pushed back by the small shinigami. _You weren't going full-out either?,_ Renji thought and Rukia took advantage of his distraction and jumped from under Renji's guard to put a scratch on his face.

She landed ten feet behind him and smirked as Renji brought his hand up to wipe the blood off his face. "I could say the same thing to you, eyebrows."

Renji twitched and slowly turned to face her, clutching Zabimaru. "What's that supposed to mean, midget?"

"You heard me. What's up with those eyebrows, Mr. Fourth Seat?" She smirked even more as she tightened her hold on Sode no Shirayuki.

"You're dead!" Renji rushed at her and attacked her at full force. The sound of blades crashing reverberated across the grounds as each tried to overwhelm the other. Rukia was also fighting full-out, implementing the knowledge she had gained from fighting countless Arrancar. Each one was so unique that in order to survive she learned to quickly recognize movement patterns and weaknesses in her opponents. Rukia noticed that Renji relied heavily on strong attacks and was prone to staying in one place for long periods of time, probably from being used to relying on Zabimaru's long-reached shikai.

Once Rukia found a hole in Renji's defenses she launched herself up on condensed spiritual energy and began to fight him from above, recalling Yoruichi's wise advice from one training session: _"Never forget that shinigami can fight in two dimensions, side to side and up and down."_ She landed on a platform of spiritual energy and began to attack Renji from above. It was this way that Rukia was able to quickly gain the advantage and dealt the final blow by kicking Renji in the head, causing him to fly across the grounds and into a wall.

For the second time that day Rukia heard unexpected clapping coming from behind her, and turned to see Ikkaku and Yumichika smirking at her and Renji. Renji still hadn't gotten up, but it was more from injured pride than an injured body. "Here I was thinking you were actually getting better, but you go and get your ass handed to you by a girl!" Ikkaku laughed and Yumichika shook his head at Renji in disappointment.

Renji slowly got up and walked over to the group, putting Zabimaru back in his sheath. He turned to Rukia and ignored his comrades, saying "Shit, Rukia. When'd you learn to fight so well? Was Captain Kuchiki teaching you?"

"No, nii-sama shouldn't be bothered by my affairs." She looked sad for a moment, then punched Renji in the arm. "When'd you get so horrible? How you ever got into First Class I have no idea." She smiled mischievously before they broke into a verbal battle, Ikkaku and Yumichika standing on the sidelines and rating the insults.

**A/N: Finally the ball gets rolling! Ichigo's first day at the Academy is next week, so please leave a review!**

**One more thing: I'm still trying to figure out what Ichigo's hollow should be called, so tell me what you want to help me out! (Hichigo, Shirosaki, Ogihci, etc.)**


	7. Great Balls of Fire!

**A/N: Thousands of thanks to my wonderful reviewers, as well as those that told me their preference on the hollow's name! I'm sorry that the explanations in this story can get a little long, but they're needed to set up the background and for a little foreshadowing (hint hint).  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, only the things I make them do. Also, the quote from paragraph 39 is taken directly from the Bleach anime series and doesn't belong to me either.  
**

Chapter 7: Great Balls of Fire!

BONG! BONG! BONG!

"AUGH!" Ichigo flew out of bed and slammed on the floor, proceeding to get tangled in the sheets he had brought down with him. It took him a full minute to realize he wasn't being attacked by an Arrancar, and then another minute to find his way out of the sheets._ What the hell were they thinking, making the morning bells so loud?_ He rubbed his head and blearily opened his blinds to look outside.

The sun was barely starting to rise, which meant it was only six in the morning._ Why so damn early? Why-y?_ Ichigo dragged himself up to his dresser, the adrenaline from the sheet attack worn out, and found some fresh academy robes. He then slowly walked to what Minobe had pointed out as the food hall and sat down at a random table in the corner, resting his tired eyes for a little bit. He had had another horrible nightmare last night and it was tough not to let it get to him...

Minobe found Ichigo face first in his bowl of rice, snoring loudly. She snickered and sat opposite him, staring intently at him and savoring his ridiculous position before she kicked his shin. Ichigo started and slowly opened his eyes to find another pair of eyes directly in front of him. He yelled and fell backwards in his chair, meeting the floor for the second time that day.

"Sleep well, Kurosaki-kun?" Minobe asked sweetly as she looked at him from over the table.

"Gutuheh." He said from the floor.

"What?"

"Go to hell!" Ichigo crawled back to his seat and methodically began to eat his rice while Minobe smiled and returned to her own large meal.

"Yeesh, somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed. Not an early riser?" She said while shoving large amounts of rice into her mouth. He glared at her and shook his head while she gave him a bright smile "Neither am I!"

He stared at her, perplexed. "Then what hell do you call this?"

"How could you not be in a good mood? The food here is so great!" She said as she moved on to her second bowl of rice.

_Is food all she thinks about? How can she still be as thin as she is?_ The two finished their meal and left together for their first class, fitness. This was a class that Ichigo desperately needed, considering his eleven year-old body was still pretty scrawny. The gym was on the east side of the campus, conveniently located near the zanjutsu and hakuda buildings.

The class was large, and included people from all years of study. Even some teachers were using the gymnasium, probably to warm up before teaching their own classes. As Ichigo discovered, it wasn't really a true "class", more like gym time that people could sign up for. Some went directly to the strange-looking workout machines (_can't the Twelfth Division make anything that looks normal?_) while others went to the large mats to stretch and do floor workouts.

Minobe went straight to work at making Ichigo feel pathetic as she broke out into full splits, back-bends, and hamstring stretches. He was still growling in disgust as she reached what must have been her two-hundredth sit-up. She paused and looked at him, saying "What's your problem?"

"Nothing." Ichigo struggled through his push-ups, remembering when he could do all these exercises easily and would have more than matched his companion.

"Fine, be like that. Don't get to worked up, though. I'm almost positive I was a professional dancer when I was alive. This comes naturally." She got up and did a weird move where she kept one foot planted on the ground and the other lifted in the air in a 6 o'clock line, feet pointed and knees stretched. "Besides, you died young, so you hardly have any muscle mass."

"What!? You're barely taller than me! And you don't exactly look like a bodybuilder." He tried and failed miserably at a split of his own while Minobe lifted one of her legs to her head.

"I've lived in Soul Society about eighty years. This is my full height, which makes sense since dancers need to be short. You should know that ballerinas train their bodies so the muscles are lean, not bulging." To emphasize her point she kicked her right leg in the air incredibly fast and stopped it above her head, holding it like it was nothing and smirking at him.

Ichigo ignored the haughty display and instead asked a question that had been on his mind for a while. "What's the growth rate of people in Soul Society? Cause I can never tell how old people here are..."

"People with no spiritual energy arrive here exactly as they died and stay that way until they die here. Those with spiritual energy arrive here at various ages, but they're always younger than their prime. All the souls with spiritual energy grow slowly, at approximately a fourth the rate of those in the real world, until they reach their prime. There's no such thing as dying of old age here."

_A fourth of the rate of growth? How am I supposed to fight the war when I'm this short? Will I be forever ridiculed like Toushirou?_

_"I wouldn't dwell on that too much..."_ Ichigo started. His hollow had been pretty quiet lately, and was actually giving real advice.

_What do you mean by that?_ It was silent again._ Fine, I'll just find out later._ Ichigo's bad mood continued for the rest of the workout session, and he snapped at Minobe whenever she tried to talk to him. She eventually became so frustrated that she left him alone to use a workout machine, failed miserably, and came back in as bad a mood as he was.

Ichigo's anger turned to apprehension as it came time to go to the Kidou Grounds and take his first real class at the Academy. _"I'm really going to enjoy this."_ Even though the hollow wasn't as aggressive since the 'incident', what they both painfully referred to a certain horrible event a year ago as, he still had his annoying moments.

_Shut up shut up shut up shut up..._Ichigo chanted to take his mind off his unavoidable humiliation. _Of all the times to take up the insults, that bastard...come to think of it,_ Ichigo realized, _I still don't have a name for the stupid thing ("Hey!") that's freeloading off my soul (__"HEY!")._

_You, what's your name?_ The Kidou building was slowly coming closer.

"_How many fuckin' times do I have to tell you, I don't have a name!"_

_Well then I'll just make one up for you._ The thing was a part of his soul, so logically it should be a variation of his name...Ichigo listed off all the names he could think of in his head until he found the perfect one. It sounded cool, and it fit the hollow's personality perfectly, being a mirror image of himself. Having found the name, he moved on to a different choice.

_Shirosaki._ He smirked, triumphant over his hollow's sputtering.

"_But Ogihci was perfect! You said so yourself! Why the hell did you choose a fucked up name like 'Shirosaki'?"_

_Well Shiro-chan ("AUGH!"), Ogihci sounded cool and that pissed me off._

"Kurosaki-kun? Kurosaki-kun?" Ichigo was broken away from the musical sound of newly dubbed Shirosaki's tortured screaming to find the doors to the Kidou classroom right in front of him. "Are you okay Kurosaki-kun?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, s-sure." He stuttered as a new wave of apprehension settled down on him.

"Okay..." Minobe looked skeptical. "...cause you were staring off into space and smirking, and you were going to walk straight into the doors if I didn't stop you."

Ichigo ignored her again and faced the looming doors. _You've faced things ten times worse then a Kidou class, Kurosaki. You've been ridiculed all your life because of your hair. You've gone up against Arrancar countless times. You're doing this to save your family and friends, so put your best foot forward and don't look back! _Ichigo's resolve hardened and he opened the doors to the classroom, confident that going through this torture would help him greatly in the long run.

--

Aizen Sousuke was sitting at his desk, staring contemplatively at the file in front of him. _Kurosaki Ichigo._ The boy changed everything, he was a wild card Aizen hadn't anticipated._ It's too late in the game to add another player on our side, _he thought as he opened the file and read the full report._ But if we push our plans back...no. We must act as soon as we discover the location of the Hougyoku._ Luckily the boy was young, in body as well as mind. He could easily be manipulated, perhaps even more easily than Hinamori and Kira were.

All Aizen needed to do was make sure Kurosaki didn't get accepted into the First, Eighth, or Thirteenth Divisions. The captains there would have too much of an influence on him, and the boy would be turned against anything that could "harm" others. Himself, Gin, and Kaname would have to each introduce themselves to the boy soon to see who he responded to best, and they could go from there. Thankfully there weren't any open captain positions so they wouldn't have another Hitsugaya on their hands...

Kurosaki certainly complicated things, but Aizen just smiled and adjusted his glasses. _What was ascending to heaven without a challenge?_

--

"I am your primary instructor Oounabara Gengorou. This Freshman Class One is a so-called special advanced class where are gathered those who achieved the most exemplary scores on the exam. In order for you men and women to become not only members of various squads, but eventually the Shinigami at the top thereof, I hope you will do your best in training." Ichigo wasn't sure if he was relieved or even more upset that Kidou had been cut into by a half hour so this Oouna-guy could explain the principles of the academy.

So for the next thirty minutes Ichigo listened to the bald guy ramble on about how the teachers would only show them the basics in the four areas of study and how to advance in them later on, and how the school wouldn't provide step-by-step instructions on how to attain shikai or bankai. All Ichigo got out of it was that he would be really bored during classes and he would be spending a lot of time at the training grounds and the library to advance to true captain level. Of course, it was reassuring to know that the only exam they would take was the Division Assessments at the end of the year. Those exams were where the Gotei Thirteen (and the other peace-keepers) found most of their recruits, and it was open to all levels!

_One year of this and I'm outta here!_ Other bits of useful information were that they would be training with wooden swords, then Asuachi (a zanpaktou for those who can't communicate with their own), and finally would go through a session to reveal their own zanpaktous. Ichigo was a bit skeptical about this, but reasoned that since he had gotten his shinigami powers first from Rukia and then from Urahara's strange methods that it would probably be best to do it the official way for once. He also found out they would be doing some real-world training after their six-month mark in the Academy. From the quiet conversations around him he found out that these exercises unfortunately had a high death rate, because of poor barriers or particularly strong hollows.

_They don't exactly stress the safety of their students, huh?_ It would be no problem for him if a hollow attacked, since he was once forced to fend off a strong hollow using only a branch when Zangetsu was thrown yards away from his grasp. It was more his classmates that he needed to protect. Ichigo had seen enough death and carnage for quite a few lifetimes and wasn't too excited at the prospect of seeing more.

His thoughts were violently interrupted as the bald guy left the room and another instructor walked in with a large stack of textbooks. On the sides Ichigo could see the words "The Arts of Binding and Destruction: Incantations One Through Forty" _Oh shit!_

--

Hitsugaya Toushirou wasn't worried about the newest prodigy at all. In fact, he was a bit excited to have the rumors get away from him for even a little bit. People were talking about whether Captain Ichimaru's record would be broken instead of wondering if Hitsugaya's bankai was just a fluke. They marveled at the prodigy's bright orange hair (for information travels fast in Soul Society), instead of his own cool demeanor. Most of all, they wondered what seat the prodigy would get instead of when Hitsugaya would crack and murder his Vice-Captain.

He walked calmly to Matsumoto's office as he greeted members of his squad on the way. Sure he had only been a captain for three years, and maybe his bankai wasn't very developed yet, but there was no reason to think that _he_ would crack under stress. Hitsugaya turned the corner and came to the door, wishing with all his might that Matsumoto had finished her paperwork for once.

As he opened the door, however, he was not at all greeted by what he wanted to see.

His own Vice-Captain, as well as those from the Third, Seventh and Ninth Divisions were draped on top of various overturned pieces of furniture, obviously incredibly drunk. The paperwork was everywhere.

No, Hitsugaya wouldn't crack under stress of any kind. Murdering his Vice-Captain, however, was a completely different story.

"MATSUMOTO!!"

--

Ichigo's heart was pounding again as the class moved out the the targeting grounds behind the Kidou building. They had just spent most of the class time going over the basics of Kidou and memorizing one of the incantations. Thankfully they wouldn't be going through every single Art in class, since most of them were easily learned and mastered.

This Destruction Art was unfortunately one of those that Rukia taught him during the war, so he knew exactly how it would turn out if he didn't keep his concentration._ The look on Rukia's face when the 20 foot ball of fire rocketed past her...priceless._

The first line of students stepped up to the plate, as the their instructor, Haruguchi Daiki, called out to fire. Each person got into position and said the incantation and soon flaming cannons were going off everywhere in graceful arcs. There were a few that managed to slightly nick their targets, including Minobe, but nobody hit it right in the center and most fell far short of their goal.

As Ichigo stood up he reminded himself of the tips he had gotten over the years and from the Kidou textbook._ Don't push all your energy into it, concentrate, remember the incantation, don't kill anyone..._He got into the position much like the one that he did while preparing his bankai, except with his palm facing away from him, and called out the incantation. "Ye lord, mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man, inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Way of Destruction Number 31, Red Flame Cannon!"

As the other's kidou slowly arced and fell short of their targets, Ichigo's decided to do something entirely different. The flaming ball that Ichigo carefully managed to get to normal size shot out from his hand at top speed, hit the center of his target and kept right on going, eventually colliding with the reinforced fence and exploding in a shower of sparks and fire.

Everyone was speechless. The awkward silence lasted what seemed like forever until Haruguchi finally spoke up. "Slightly unorthodox, but good aim. A little more control next time please, Kurosaki." Ichigo let out the breath he had been holding and returned to the spot on the floor as his classmates congratulated him on his "amazing shot." _Maybe this year won't be so bad_, he thought as he smiled and watched the last group try and fail to repeat his shot, one of them blowing themselves up in the process.

**A/N: A bit of a filler chapter, but next time we'll see Ichigo with a sword! I feel sorry for his opponent already...please remember to leave your review!**


	8. Recalling the Past

**A/N: I just would like to say thank you to all my reviewers, and that I'm so glad my first story is getting such a great response! There's a lot of fighting in this chapter...  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, only the things I make them do.**

Chapter 8: Recalling the Past

"Hey Shiori, did you hear about the new kid? The one with the bright orange hair?"

"I heard he blew a hole in the wall the size of the main doors!"

"My friend says that the captains are fighting for him already. Wish that were me."

Ichigo scowled as he walked by the groups of chattering people. Sure he didn't care what people said about him, but it was still damn annoying. He had just finished lunch with Minobe and she had gone to meet up with another person in their class, so Ichigo was all alone on the walk to his zanjutsu class. Ichigo patted the wooden sword at his side._ Times like these when I miss Zangetsu._

_"Me too."_

Ichigo rolled his eyes. _I thought you said you were__ Zangetsu. Ya remember that?_

_"Yeah, well, it's different now. Things have changed, and you of all people should know that." _Ichigo remained silent, wishing that events in the past had ended up differently. He still didn't know what affect the 'incident' had on him, and he sure as hell didn't want to find out, but he did know that his mistake cost the lives of many of his friends.

He decided to take Rukia's advice for once and shifted his thoughts to more positive things as he pushed open the doors to the zanjutsu classroom. A few people were already there and warming up, practicing their swings in the high-ceilinged, spacious room. Ichigo joined in, getting used to swinging the wooden sword with his smaller proportions and weaker muscles.

Soon the room was filled with eager new students play-sparring and stretching, including Minobe and her friend. Their instructor called the class to session about ten minutes after Ichigo arrived, and the students were divided into two straight lines on either side of the room, watching two male students trying to whack the other with a wooden sword.

Albeit a bit boring, the sparring sessions allowed Ichigo to practice analyzing the combatant's strengths and weaknesses, so that by the time it was his turn he had successfully predicted the winner for all the previous six battles.

He was now expected to face off against a male student twice as tall as him and sporting loads of muscles. To the people on the sidelines it seemed impossible for Ichigo to win despite what they had heard and an excited murmur broke out through the crowd.

Ichigo took the time to analyze his opponent while the instructor was telling the class to be quiet, ignoring the fact that his challenger was trying to stare at him intimidatingly. _Grip on the sword is weak. Too cocky, large mass means slower. Right hand more lax on the sword, most likely a lefty. This should be quick. First impressions, Kurosaki, make this one count._

The whistle was blown and Ichigo struck fast as lightning, his sword smacking loudly directly between his opponent's hands where the grip was the weakest. He twisted his sword quickly and yanked the other's sword from his grip. The released wooden sword spun through the air, hitting the opposite wall and before it landed Ichigo's opponent was flat on the floor. All in less than five seconds.

The class collectively blinked, astounded at Ichigo for the second time that day. Even the zanjutsu instructor's mouth was open, until he weakly called out, "Winner, Kurosaki. Return to your places." Ichigo sighed, brushed off his uniform, and sat down, aware of the entire class's eyes on his back.

--

Rukia sat on the sidelines of the 11th division's training grounds watching Renji get beat up by Ikkaku. Granted, she knew he would improve a lot in the next few years, and he had only recently started training hard like this, but this was just pathetic. She sighed and decided to help him out a little bit. "Hey, Eyebrows! Eyebrows! Where's your footwork!?" Her voice carried against the clash of steel and Ikkaku let out a triumphant laugh.

"Eh, Renji? See! See what I've saying all this time! Move yer fuckin' feet!" Renji scowled and reluctantly shuffled his feet around, unaccustomed to thinking of his feet as well as his zanpaktou. In another minute Renji was flung against the wall and Ikkaku started his victory dance.

Rukia stood up and sighed. "Don't put that zanpaktou away, idiot. I want to fight."

Renji brushed himself off and looked at her questioningly as Yumichika and Ikkaku started to spar. He rolled his eyes at her, "If you want, Rukia. But I warn you, I was going easy on you yesterday."

She smirked at him, knowing him well enough to see that he was lying. _Time to teach this damned idiot a lesson._ She leapt at him, Sode no Shirayuki already drawn and commenced the battle. Rukia made sure to move about even more than she normally would, determined to drill the fact into Renji's brain that he couldn't fight an opponent standing still. As the zanpatou's crashed together she remembered when she thought that Renji was one of the best swordsmen around._ No wonder I always needed to be protected. Nii-sama, Kaien-dono, Renji, Ichigo...they could all see what I couldn't. It took a bastard literally to plunge his hand through my heart to realize that I was going nowhere fast._

Renji was slowly starting to put more effort into dodging her blade and not just deflecting it with his own. _Every little thing could save his life,_ Rukia thought,_ if he had dodged instead of deflected that night..._she decided to end the battle. Rukia kept getting oddly distracted by every move Renji made, recalling all the past battles and injuries he had gotten while using the exact techniques he was using now. She pulled the blade to her side and shunpoed next to Renji, using her brother's favorite technique to put her blade to his back before he could even blink.

After waiting long enough to acknowledge the fact that she had won, she sheathed her sword and smirked, walking around to the front of Renji, who still hadn't moved. Her smile fell when she saw the expression on her friend's face. Renji looked as though he had lost all hope, despair written all over him.

"Don't like to lose to a girl, eh? I thought you said you were miles ahead of me. What's with the pathetic face?"

Renji looked away from her and sheathed his zanpaktou. "It's nothing. See you tomorrow." He slowly walked away, leaving Rukia to wonder what she had done wrong. She had no idea that the last technique she had used to defeat him with was the one thing that Renji was trying to beat. If he couldn't see Rukia, how would he ever be able to catch her brother?

--

Ichigo's class was now paired into groups of two with everyone sparring at the same time. Minobe had paired with that new friend of hers (_what's with all the short girl shinigami?)_, so Ichigo was left with a kid named Choshi Naoki. Why he was paired with this kid Ichigo had no idea, since he must have been the worst at zanjutsu in the entire class. The clumsy student was tripping over his own feet, letting go of his sword, and running into trees and walls. The comical situation left Ichigo to wonder how Choshi managed to get into Class One in the first place.

The instructor seemed to notice this as well, so when Choshi had fallen backwards for the fifth time, he said "Kurosaki, you're with me. Choshi, take a break and pull yourself together." The kid ashamedly picked himself off the ground and went to sit on a bench and watch Ichigo and his instructor (_I think it was Ikoma)._

The two took a fighting stance and waited for the other to make the first move. Finally, Ikoma attacked and Ichigo dodged, bringing his sword up to meet his instructor's. Before Ichigo could make an attack of his own, Ikoma struck out again towards his side, and soon Ichigo found himself on the defensive. He could quickly see why the man was a zanjutsu instructor. His moves were quicker than Ichigo had ever seen without spiritual enhancement and his blows were the strongest he had seen without a zanpaktou. It took everything Ichigo had to keep up and meanwhile try to find Ikoma's weakness. Sure, he would beat him easily if he had Zangetsu and his old body back, but now..._"See King? You're nothing without us."_

_And your attitude is back to what it used to be._

_"Ouch, no need to be harsh! I'm just makin' a statement. When's the old man comin' back?"_

_They said we get our real zanpaktous in two months. Now shut up, I need to concentrate._

The wooden swords met again and again, and soon a crowd formed around Ikoma and Ichigo. Ichigo knew he was barely keeping up, but didn't let himself slow down since he desperately needed this kind of exercise. He knew that he was used to relying on Zangetsu before, but this battle confirmed it. If Ichigo could do this even once a week, his swordsmanship would greatly improve.

Finally Ikoma's wooden sword connected with Ichigo's and a loud crack resounded through the building as the sword broke. After that the battle was lost for Ichigo. Holding the zanjutsu instructor back with half a sword was impossible, and in the next minute Ichigo was on the ground. Their audience clapped as Ichigo got up and the two bowed. Ikoma called out that class was dismissed and turned to Ichigo. "Congratulations on holding up so long, Kurosaki. You're the best swordsman I've seen in this academy since Ichimaru Gin." Ichigo fought the incredible urge to cring at that name while the instructor kept talking. "Not that there's no room for improvement, of course. Speed and strength will come with time and age, but having a released zanpaktou will also help." Ichigo nodded and thanked Ikoma for the class, then ran off to find the Zanpaktou Meditation classroom.

--

Kuchiki Byakuya was not a stupid man. He could see the change in his sister immediately, and watched her suddenly become extremely driven almost exactly a year ago. Now he was seeing another change in Rukia. She was alternating between hope and despair, much like when Hisana did when she searched for the very girl in question. Hope only a few days ago, when a smile never left her face and she was eager to rush off to the Academy to see an old friend. Despair just recently, as Byakuya heard reports about Rukia having others accompany her to her training. The attendant he had watching Rukia said she had screamed at Abarai Renji for an hour straight for walking off after she won their battle.

Byakuya also sensed a shift in attitude towards different people. Although Rukia did her best to hide it, he saw the looks she gave at the Third and Ninth Captains, and the way she shivered when around the Fifth Captain. Rukia also had suddenly repaired her old friendship with Abarai, and seemed more at ease around himself.

All this evidence revolved around one thing. Rukia was preparing for something, and if he was correct that something had to do with the same three captains that were involved with the Urahara exile a hundred years ago.

--

Ichigo found himself fighting Ikoma again, his surroundings blurred as wood met wood and the two danced around each other. Their fight brought them higher into the sky, and when Ichigo blinked a familiar scene met his eyes. He was standing miles over Karakura Town in his bankai uniform. All around him shinigami and arrancar were fighting each other, energy flaring and blood spilling. He turned back to Ikoma only to find him slowly walking on spiritual energy over to where Rukia was battling one of Halibel's replacement Fraccion. Ichigo was confused, and nothing made sense as he ran over to ask Ikoma what he was doing, a vague sense of foreboding welling up inside him.

Everything stopped as Ikoma slashed Rukia with his zanpaktou, no longer a simple wooden sword. Ichigo rushed to Rukia and made to catch her as she fell to the ground, but found his body frozen. When Ikoma slowly turned towards him, he was not the kind instructor, but Aizen Sousuke in his Arrancar robes. Ichigo struggled to be free of the kidou that bound him, but Aizen was too strong.

"Remind me to thank that girl, should she live. She was the perfect bait to lure you over here, Kurosaki." Ichigo's eyes widened as he found that he couldn't speak either. "Yes, I could see how you were trying to avoid me, no doubt on the orders of the Captains." Aizen smiled and reached into the pocket of his robes. "But I've brought you here to conduct a very important experiment." Ichigo watched in horror as Aizen held the Hougyoku in front of his frozen body. "You see, I've always wondered-"

BONG! BONG! BONG!

Ichigo launched out of his bed and landed on his feet, his hand going to where Zangetsu would be and his heart pounding. It took him a full twenty seconds to realize he wasn't being attacked by Aizen, and the adrenaline still hadn't worn off as Ichigo made his way to the food hall for breakfast. As he jumped at every little sound and clutched his familiarly pounding head, Ichigo knew that this would turn out to be a horrible day.

**A/N: Phew! It's getting harder to crunch out these chapters since finals are coming up, but soon it'll be summer. Yay for lots of writing time! Please leave me a review!**


	9. Annoying Occurrences

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is really late, but finals and performances had left me with little time and no inspiration. But here's a bit longer chapter to make up for it, and thanks to you all for your reviews and support!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, only the things I make them do!**

Chapter Nine: Annoying Occurrences

WHACK!

Ichigo choked on a mouthful of rice as he was once again unexpectedly woken by Minobe. He had no idea what was with him and falling asleep in his rice bowl lately, but thanks to Minobe's lunch tray his headache was even worse.

He opened his mouth to yell at his friend when she smacked him out of his seat. "Why the _hell_ didn't you tell me you were that good? I can't _believe_ you! You made the teacher go full-out! Full-out!" She yelled at him as if he had no idea what had gone on yesterday, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. Then Minobe's eyes narrowed and she pointed at him. "That _was_ you who blew a hole in the wall during testing, wasn't it? It was! Why didn't you tell me, making me think there was some kind of accident..."

Ichigo clutched his head, no longer listening. The familiar ache was slowly getting worse, no thanks to Minobe. _Why the hell is this damn headache coming back? I thought Urahara said it was gone for good!_

_"Beats me, I'm hurting as much as you are. Now shut up. I don't want to have to listen to you as well as the stupid bitch."_

Ichigo endured the small girl's speech until they were halfway to the gym, where he finally couldn't take it anymore and kicked her in the rear, saying "Shut the hell up!" He walked off mumbling miscellaneous swear words as Minobe was left to fume again.

Ichigo decided to skip the morning fitness session to try to relieve his pounding head, but as usual things never worked out the way they were supposed to.

"Um, excuse me?" His headache was almost gone when Ichigo looked up from his position on the bench and saw the clumsy kid from yesterday. "Uh, sorry to bother you. Can I sit down?" Ichigo nodded, somewhat amused that a kid three feet taller than him was acting like a nervous wreck.

"You're the guy I fought yesterday...um..." Ichigo scratched his head as he tried to remember the kid's name.

He jumped in his seat at the chance to answer. "My name is Choshi Naoki! I'm really sorry about yesterday, I was just really nervous and then I couldn't concentrate because you were so much better than me plus I'm pretty clumsy sometimes so I kept tripping over myself and I'm not good at zanjutsu at all because my teacher said I should work on other things but if I'm ever your partner again I promise to be better!" Choshi let out the little breath he had left and looked extremely apprehensive at what Ichigo would say.

He just shrugged. "It's fine. I doubt anyone was much better since everybody's in their first year." He gave the encouraging smile that he used to use on Orihime to calm her down..._don't think about that._ "This is an academy, right? So the whole purpose is to make you stronger. So what if your zanjutsu's bad? I know a lot of people who can't do any kidou," _Including myself. _"and they're perfectly fine shinigami." The kid seemed to brighten up a bit and silence fell over them, though Ichigo could see out of the corner of his eye that he was trying to work up the courage to say something else.

Minobe suddenly turned the corner and ran towards them, calling out "Kurosaki-kun!" and causing Ichigo's companion to close his mouth, putting off whatever he was going to say. Once Minobe got close enough to the two of them she bowed slightly to Ichigo "I'm very sorry for my behavior earlier, Kurosaki-kun. I'm usually very irritable in the morning and I took that out on you. Is your headache gone?"

Ichigo started. "Oh, you noticed? Yeah, it's just about over. How was the class?"

"Same as yesterday. But you know that's the only class you're allowed to skip, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. What do we have next?" Choshi was keeping quiet next to him, watching their easy conversation.

Minobe pulled out her schedule. "Um...I don't have anything until 2:00, but you might want to check your own schedule since you're taking more classes than me. Hey, who's your friend?"

Choshi snapped to attention and jumped to his feet, extending his hand. "My name is Choshi Naoki! Honored to make your acquaintance..."

"Minobe Kaeda." They shook hands as Ichigo yelled out in victory at having finally found his schedule.

Choshi gave a small smile. "A maple and a strawberry...you two have very interesting names."

"It means 'he who protects', damn it!" Ichigo interjected while scanning his schedule.

"Oh, sorry Kurosaki-san." It was odd to see a boy almost as tall as Ichigo used to be looking contrite to a little kid. "Minobe-san, how did you meet Kurosaki-san? I thought those from Rukongai didn't associate with the nobles, and it looks like you two have been friends for a long time."

Ichigo looked confused, but Minobe said "We just met a few days ago at the entrance exams. Kurosaki-kun was kind enough to spare me some of his food, even if he called me stupid." She stuck her tongue out at him. "You must be very good at reading spiritual energy if you could pick up that Kurosaki-kun was a noble, Choshi-kun. Even I didn't catch that, and he certainly doesn't act like one."

"WHAT?" Ichigo stood up abruptly and stared the two down, which was extremely hard since they were taller. "I'm not a noble! What the hell are you going on about?"

Choshi was taken aback. "You're not? But you were clearly born as a shinigami, I can tell from your spiritual energy. It's very hard to trace though, since yours is the most unique signature I've seen so far..." Ichigo got uncomfortable as the dark-haired boy peered intently at him. "I could be making a mistake though. I mean, it even feels like you're part human, but that's impossible!" Minobe and Choshi chuckled and Ichigo nervously joined in.

"How would you know that though? I've never heard of a 'signature' before." Sometimes Ichigo wished that Rukia could have sat him down and lectured him on all the 'extras' about being a shinigami. Without the stupid drawings.

Minobe quickly spoke up. "Every shinigami's spiritual energy is different, much like a fingerprint. It's that that helps shinigami in combat by recognizing their comrade's energy signature. I'm not very good at reading energy, since manipulation is more my specialty, but I heard that a prodigy in reading signatures was in the freshman year, though I didn't expect you to read to this extent!" Choshi was staring him down again, making Ichigo shift in his seat.

_You're hiding somewhere, right? Cause this is getting too close for comfort._ There was no answer. _Good._

"Yes, yours is the most interesting and hard to read signature I've ever seen. It's as if layers and more complicated layers have been built upon an even more complicated base, not to mention the huge amount of energy you have. You're quite a challenge, Kurosaki-san!"

"Um...yeah that's great, but can you back away a little bit? I don't like when people come too close to me."

Choshi snapped out of his daze and backed away quickly, bowing multiple times and saying "Sorry, so sorry Kurosaki-san! I just get so absorbed in my work that I lose myself! I'm very sorry!"

Ichigo just said "Whatever, it's okay." before turning to Minobe. "I've got a class now, so I'll meet you for lunch in the same spot as yesterday. Try to keep the kid occupied, I almost feel a little sorry for him." Ichigo turned and waved behind him.

Minobe nodded, then yelled out as Ichigo started running away. "What class are you going to!?"

"Spiritual Energy Control!"

"You're going the wrong way, stupid!"

"Damn it!"

--

"Hey, Rukia! I forgot about this book, "The Fool's Guide to Energy Control" This one helped me a lot when I was in the academy, cause it's got really useful tips for beginners. All the textbooks assume you already know the basics of energy control..."

"Add it to the pile, Renji." The pair had taken their normal break time to go to the library at Rukia's request. Renji had eventually gotten Rukia to tell him where she was going on Friday and was very excited to meet another person who had trouble with kidou and manipulating energy._ Ichigo's going to be pissed when Renji starts acting all high and mighty...but it's not like like I can just tell him that I'm somehow friends with this 'amazing prodigy' right now. _She smirked to herself. _Ichigo'll want to lord that over him once he beats him in the inevitable battle. Then it'll be just like old times..._The only problem was that Renji was now insisting to come with her that Friday, so she and Ichigo couldn't discuss anything of importance.

And so they came here. The library outside of the academy held countless material on a vast amount of subjects, and so if Rukia couldn't provide her comrade with information about the future quite yet, she could at least give him access to material she wished she had when she was a student. Between the two of them a large stack of books had formed, including title ranging from "Refining Your Kidou" and "The Hollow Encyclopedia."

Rukia almost burst into tears when she spotted her old favorite book. She used to rent out the precious material whenever it was available, almost to the point where the Ninth Division delivered it to her door. She hugged the book to her chest, the placed it reverently on top of the pile. There was no treatment great enough for one of the two copies of the only book published by her nii-sama's mother, the other in the Kuchiki family museum. This book held the secrets behind her art and although she tried her best, only her nii-sama could properly reproduce the wonderful art from this amazing 'how to draw' book.

--

"Hey, Kurosaki-kun! Over here!" Ichigo looked up to see Minobe waving at him in a patch of trees. He grabbed his lunch and walked over, sitting in complete silence. Today he was not only accompanied by Minobe, but by her friend from yesterday and the creepy staring kid. Not his ideal lunch. _This is just like in high school. Can't I eat alone just once?_

"So, how was your class, Kurosaki-kun?"

He looked up from his food. "Bad." Ichigo resumed eating as Minobe quietly fumed while the other two with them exchanged apprehensive looks.

"Why are you so damned anti-social!?"

"...because." He remained stoic as he resumed eating his lunch, but inside he was glad to see the girl suffer a bit as payback for that morning.

_"You're lucky, Stupid King. My headache still hasn't gone away yet...idiot energy reader...making me hide like that..."_

"Excuse me, Ichigo-san." He looked up to see the girl that Minobe sparred with yesterday along with Choshi staring at him. From the looks of it she was asking a question he was too shy to. "You were the one who fought Ikoma-sensei yesterday, right?." He nodded. "Amazing! Where did you learn to fight so well?"

_Better to stay with the same story..._ "I studied martial arts for a while when I was alive. I guess I was taught better than most people."

"You can remember stuff like that?" Minobe, after trying to stay out of the conversation and fume was quickly drawn back in.

"Do you remember anything else?" Ichigo really wished he knew the names of these people. Then he be able to properly tell them to leave him be. Especially after that disaster of a energy control class.

"Okay, fine, here's the life story. My name is Kurosaki Ichigo, I lived in Karakura with my mom Masaki, my dad Isshin, and my sisters Yuzu and Karin. I only had one friend, Arisawa Tatsuki, because everyone else made fun of my hair. I was enlisted in karate when I was four, would always confuse spirits and people, and died when I was nine after I tried to protect my mom from a Hollow." He took a bite out of his sandwich and chewed slowly, completely ignoring the silence around him.

"Th-That's impossible!" It was the shy kid from earlier that surprisingly broke the silence. "There's...there's no way you could have that much spiritual energy if you were just a normal human! I've never heard of such a thing before!"

_Oh shit, maybe I shouldn't have said that...oh well._ Ichigo sighed. "Obviously it is possible, cause it happened. That was how I met one of my shinigami friends, Kuchiki Rukia."

"K-Kuchiki Rukia? _Kuchiki?_ Wow, Ichigo-san, you have amazing connections! You'll get a high-ranking position no problem..." Minobe's friend almost looked green with envy.

Minobe just looked sceptical. "Are you sure you're not a noble, Kurosaki-kun? Cause you and that Kuchiki girl looked far too comfortable with each other to have just met a little while ago..."

Ichigo's scowl had been deepening with every word they said until he couldn't take it anymore. "Argh! I gave you my life story! What more do you want? I was always abnormal when I was alive, and now it's looking like I'll be abnormal here too! Some 'heaven' this is supposed to be. I going to class." He gathered his things and quickly strode away from the group, only hoping that he didn't look like he was having a temper tantrum since he was so 'young'.

Unfortunately, Ichigo had only gotten ten feet away from them when none other than Rukia flash-stepped in front of him. "What the hell are you doing here?" She was the last person he wanted to see right now, and he knew the group he had just left was staring at them.

Rukia, being predictable, punched him in the jaw. "What do you mean, 'What the hell are you doing here', I can do exactly as I please, bastard!" Ichigo quickly got up from the ground and stared her down, Rukia meeting his glare. They stayed like this for a few seconds before Rukia burst out into laughter.

"What's so funny!?"

"You, stupid! You're exactly the same height as me!"

She doubled over in hysterics again as Ichigo grunted and turned away. "I thought we covered that a few days ago. What the hell are you doing here?"

He waited not-so-patiently as Rukia slowly recovered. "I just wanted to tell you that Renji insisted he come on Friday, so we won't be able to talk then." Ichigo grunted angrily. "So instead we both gathered up a bunch of books at the Seireitei library and left them in your dorm."

"Oh...thanks," Ichigo said awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head.

Rukia grinned evilly. "I also didn't tell Renji that you're the supposed 'prodigy', so he's looking forward to beating some respect into a little freshman. You can borrow Sode no Shirayuki."

Ichigo matched her smile, then looked concerned. "Are you sure I can use your zanpaktou? Is that allowed?"

Rukia laughed. "Considering you used her for two months it should be fine. Or did you not notice that the handguard of the sword you used is the same as mine?" She pulled out her zanpaktou to show him.

"It was a whole lot bigger though..." Rukia jammed the hilt into his face.

--

Ten feet behind them Minobe and her friend, Terada Michi, were giggling at the exchange and how easily the noble was beating up their prodigal friend, though they wished they were close enough to hear what they were saying. Choshi, however, had taken out a small notebook and was frantically scribbling things down. He had been taught to be analytical by his teacher since he had arrived in Soul Society, and Kurosaki was a puzzle unlike anything he had ever seen. Choshi wanted another chance to get a look at the prodigy's energy signature up close, but he unfortunately didn't have the guts to start a conversation with the incredibly powerful child. He wrote like a madman as he added his observations to the list he had started earlier that morning.

_Lacks control, extremely high power level, well trained in the arts of zanjutsu, can be patronizing, takes many classes, easily angered, name means 'one who protects' (sore subject), clearly born from a shinigami, denies being a noble, traces of human?, slightly sinister feel about energy, nervous when examined (something to hide?), bad sense of direction or unfamiliar with campus layout, seems to not like being around people, can completely remember his past life (transcript on following page), incredible energy when just a human, very friendly with Kuchiki Rukia_

Choshi snapped his notebook closed and leaned back on the tree._ Maybe I'm over-reacting...Kurosaki certainly doesn't seem like a bad kid...but sensei said to challenge my skills while I was here, and I'll show him the enigma of the century! He might even be able to help me on my next day off...yes, Kurosaki, I'll solve your puzzle!  
_

**A/N: Woot! It's summer time! So...much...time...to write...I'm almost overwhelmed by the free time! Man, do I live for summer...**


	10. Visitor From Hell

**A/N: Took a trip to New York City this week, and I have to say it was freakin' amazing! I've lived in New York my whole life, but I'd never been to New York City before...how sad is that? Anyway, this was a _very _fun chapter to write, but I'm looking forward to the next one even more! Thank you for your reviews everyone, and thank you, dear reader, for making it through this pointless author's note! This is the longest chapter ever, at exactly four thousand words!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, only the things I make them do.**

Chapter 10: Visitor From Hell

"Kurosaki-kun! Kurosaki-kun! Come quick! A captain is coming to inspect the academy!" Ichigo jumped from his regular bowl of rice (he had been doing so well with not falling asleep, too) and ran out of the food hall towards Minobe's voice. "Hurry, we'll miss him! Come on!"

As the two ran towards the main gates thousands of thoughts were running through Ichigo's head._ Is this a normal thing? Is there a problem? Did they find us out? Who will it be? Is Kenpachi here to fight me? Or maybe Byakuya found out I'm friends with Rukia, and is here to kill me? Or maybe it's..._

Ichigo's worst fear was realized as the two turned the corner and he heard one word in the chatter. "...Aizen-sama..."

"Oh, fuck no!" Ichigo couldn't contain himself and started running back the way they came. He had only taken a few steps when he ran straight into Minobe's friend and the shy kid.

"Sorry, Ichigo-san! We weren't watching where we were walking!"

"Amazing, another astounding alliteration, Terada-san! I don't know how you do it!" The clumsy kid offered his hand to Minobe's friend as she laughed at his own attempt at alliteration, and then he quickly turned to Ichigo. "Sorry, so sorry, Kurosaki-san! It was all my fault! If I hadn't-"

Ichigo cut him off "It's fine, no problem...uh..."

"Choshi Naoki."

"Terada Michi. Sorry I never introduced myself to you Kurosaki-san. Of course, Minobe-chan says you have quite a problem with remembering names!"

Said girl hurried over and glared at Ichigo. "What was with that little outburst, Kurosaki-kun? What if the captain had been there when you said that?" Ichigo blanched as he remembered why he almost ran over Choshi and Terada in the first place. Minobe started dragging him back to the crowd of students while Terada laughed and ran to help. Choshi wasn't sure if he should help Ichigo or the two girls, and Minobe and Terada decided to strike up a conversation while pulling Ichigo. "I heard the Captain Aizen is the best captain! I hope I get into his division when I become a shinigami!"

"NO!" Minobe let go of Ichigo in shock while Terada stared at him questioningly. He tried to pull himself together as he caught his breath. "You...you can't...he-he's not...don't...augh! Never mind!" He stomped off to his dorm before the three students could stop him. Choshi simply pulled out his notebook.

_...can't put names to faces, is strongly against Captain Aizen (but why?)..._

--

The rest of the previous day had been very uneventful and Ichigo was able to get through the hakuda and extra zanjutsu class with ease. The biggest surprises came in the hakuda class. Contrary to what he had been expecting, Minobe was horrible in hand-to-hand combat. Sure, she was great at dodging, but the small girl seemed very uncomfortable with actually hurting people with her own hands and feet. _That's why she's so good at zanjutsu, because she can move her body and the sword it the only thing that harms her opponent, _he had thought while the class watched her spar with her friend. Terada seemed alright at hakuda, but there was still a lot of work to be done.

The biggest surprise, though, was that Choshi was extremely good at hand-to-hand combat. After he settled into his stance against one of the larger students he seemed to go into a trance and the clumsiness evaporated. Ichigo thought the kid might actually do fairly well in a battle against himself. At least until Choshi had won the fight and tripped over himself walking back to his place in line. _They're many times older than me, yet they're completely unprepared for war...what had happened to them before? Were they killed in the Seireitei Massacre? Did they even make it to a division?_ Ichigo had thought about his new, albeit a bit annoying, friends for most of the night and wondered if he was getting too attached to them. _That's the problem with war,_ he had thought,_ don't make any new friends, since you'll just have to mourn them later._

--

And so Ichigo found himself in the nearly empty fitness room pondering the same thought. He couldn't break away from them, he knew, since the idiots would come running right back. But, just being near himself when the war started was dangerous. All he could do was graduate was soon as possible, then hope they forgot about him once a few years passed.

Ichigo sighed and took out his schedule._ Today's Wednesday, right?_

_"Yup. I would know, there's nothing better to do here. Thankfully it won't last too much longer..."_

_What's that supposed to mean?_

_"None of your business."_

Ichigo rolled his eyes and looked at the schedule for Wednesday. It was just an extra hakuda class, his first hohou, and another zanpaktou meditation seminar._ Easy day, especially the meditation. The sword from Monday was a pretty nice horse-thing and let me sleep for a while. It was kinda awkward when the old guy said that we shouldn't get discouraged if we don't get a small glimpse of the spirit's appearance even by the end of the year. Even more so when I stupidly said I didn't want to work with the same horse-thing the whole year..._

He stood up and brushed himself off, looked at the clock and decided that he had time to take a longer shower than normal before his hakuda class. Twenty minutes later he stepped out refreshed and rejuvenated, not to mention the cleanest he'd felt been for a long time. The matter of Aizen had completely left his mind and he even whistled as he walked to class. At least until Ichigo realized what he was doing and quickly stopped.

--

Hinamori Momo bounced to the reception desk near the main building, taking in the familiar sights of the academy. Her captain had entrusted her with picking out the first class they observed and she was determined to make him happy. Especially since this was the first visit he had made to the school in forever. Hinamori smiled as she recognized the unchanged secretary, the same one from her own academy days. "Excuse me Hirano-san?"

The middle-aged shinigami looked up from her paperwork and smiled. "Vice-Captain Hinamori! It's been so long! What can I do for you?"

"We're just observing today Hirano-san. Can you tell me which combined classes are today?"

"Ah, yes. We've got morning chemistry and hakuda classes as well as an afternoon kidou. But for observation I would recommend either the hakuda or kidou, especially if you're looking for recruits."

Hinamori thought about the choices._ Captain Aizen has always held an interest in kidou, and most of our division is good in kidou...but he's also fond of hand-to-hand combat, since I saw him in the training room that one time._ Her cheeks flushed as she pushed that memory out of her mind._ What to choose, what to choose...oh!_ "Hirano-san, do you know if the freshman prodigy is in any of the classes? Captain Aizen is intent on grabbing him before anyone else." _That's Captain Aizen, he's always looking out for the strength of his squad!_

"Yes, you're in luck! Kurosaki Ichigo is taking the morning hakuda class. It starts in three minutes, but you can get there easily with shunpo." Hinamori nodded, waved, and took off at top speed to where her beloved Captain was waiting.

After she told Aizen of the arrangements for that morning he nodded happily and patted her on the head, congratulating her for her perfect choice. As they both took off he thought,_ Maybe she's not so useless after all. She at least had the brainpower to remember the little hints I dropped about Kurosaki. Every thing's going perfectly, and my day will be complete if Kurosaki really is what I expect him to be._

--

Ichigo couldn't stand it when Minobe started rattling on about how great the Captain of the Fifth Division was and how cute his little Vice-Captain looked. He wanted nothing more than to grab her shoulders and shake some sense into her, to tell her the truth. Although, one thing did go right that class, since he was very glad to see that his sparring partner was a seventh-year. That was the thing about these extra classes that he liked. These classes could be taken by anyone from any year, so he was as close to an even match as he could get._ Hopefully this'll be better than yesterday's freshman class. The guy didn't even last five seconds! One strike to the head...what I'm wondering is how these people got into the First Class._

_"Not everyone in the First Class is expected to be Captain-level or higher, o' mighty slayer of arrancar and first-year students."_

_Shut up...oh, fuck no! No, no, no, no, NO!!_

Minobe looked at her friend in alarm when he started growling and glaring at the entrance to the classroom. She looked over and squeaked, seeing the two high-ranked shinigami entering the building. Minobe frantically racked her head with a way to shut up Ichigo, and decided on a good elbow to the face.

"Hey, that's my signature move!"

"What? Whatever. But Kurosaki-kun, you can't go doing that at Captains and Vice-Captains! What do you have against them anyway?"

She barely caught what he said as he started glaring again. "Not her, him." Minobe huffed and nervously glanced at the kind-looking Captain. She was even more annoyed when she realized the Captain and Ichigo were having a staring contest, one looking encouraging but confused and the other glaring with the most hatred and rage she had seen on his face.

Meanwhile, Ichigo was fighting one of the hardest battles he had ever fought. Every muscle was clenched, hoping to keep himself from springing on the monster of a man in an instant._ Don't kill him, don't kill him, Ichimaru and Tousen are still at large, don't kill him, you'll be locked up and executed for treason, don't kill him, don't kill him, don't kill the bastard that deserves to die this instant! _Ichigo rose from his seat a little bit.

_"Hey, wait you idiot! Use your reason, you've had it longer than me! Don't take it for granted! Remember what sandal-hat said: 'As for the matter of Aizen, Ichimaru, and Tousen, you must not let them know what you are planning. This is of utmost importance.' If you do this now, everything will be lost!"_ Ichigo grunted and dropped back to a sitting position, relaxing his face back to a scowl. He glanced back at the bastard Captain one more time and saw with satisfaction that he looked even more confused, a rare expression on his face.

Minobe went to elbow Ichigo again, but now he was much too on his guard. He grabbed her arm and pushed it towards her back, never looking away from the wall he was concentrating his remaining anger at. Minobe took a few seconds to recover from her surprise at Ichigo's retaliation and then confronted him. "What do you have against Captain Aizen? Why are you doing this? Do you want to ruin any chance you have of getting into a squad?" He didn't answer, leaving Minobe to stomp off as her name was called for a match.

--

Aizen hadn't felt this way in quite a long time: confused. He had many expectations as to Kurosaki's behavior, remembering the similar attitudes of other prodigies he had studied. Absolutely none of those expectations had been met. Aizen's biggest concern was the prodigy's strange behavior towards himself. He was sure Kurosaki had no hatred towards his Vice-Captain, in fact the student hadn't looked at her once. But he had never seen that kind of rage on a child. Well, maybe once, that time when Captain Hitsugaya found out that his own Vice-Captain accidentally set his office building on fire.

What worried him even more was Kurosaki's sudden change in attitude. One second the prodigy was about to spring at him, then his eyes glazed over as if he was listening to something. A second later he dropped and remained passive and in the same position until even now. _Either very disciplined or very concentrated. I'd have to guess the latter, judging his earlier behavior._

Aizen's attention refocused on the present as he heard the professor call out Kurosaki's name and another's. "A seventh-year," his Vice-Captain whispered to him, "I wonder if the prodigy will win?"

Kurosaki settled easily into the starting position, a haze coming over his features. This was a mask that Aizen knew only came over those who fought many battles, not just from formal training._ Kurosaki Ichigo...you're right in front of me, yet I cannot read you so easily. Why are you so different from the others? Why aren't you what you should be?_

--

Ichigo grabbed a towel on his way back to his seat after the match. As he wiped his face he was acutely aware that everyone's eyes were on him, especially those of the bastard Captain. The match was easy to win, too easy, since all Ichigo had to do was look at Aizen's face to gain strength. Six minutes of furious punches and kicks was all he needed to defeat one of the top seventh-years. Ichigo hoped no one noticed that he was trying to make the match drag on longer to play down his own strength a bit, as well as vent the rest of his anger. Of course he had wanted to make his very last hit count, but Ichigo thought he might have gone a bit overboard. After all, an eleven year-old sending a grown man through a wall might have looked a bit disturbing.

_"These kids are gonna get chewed up by hollows when the war comes. Good job at making yourself look a bit weak, though. I know how tempting it was to end it in one shot like that other match."_

_The best thing in war is to have the enemy underestimate you. I'll go back to kickin' ass when Aizen leaves._

He heard a strangled noise next to him and looked at Minobe questioningly. After a few more seconds of staring she leaned to him and said in a furious whisper, "You beat a seventh-year! _A seventh-year!_ I can't even win a match against a freshman! How? _How do you do it?_" Ichigo shrugged and glanced at his enemy, but the bastard seemed to be completely focused on watching the current match. Minobe was still whispering to him, "What's so special about you? Why are you so good at everything? What the hell is wrong with _me_? I've trained by myself for _20 years_! You're just a kid!"

Ichigo couldn't take it anymore. He turned to her and whispered back, "You know what? You can have it! Take my spiritual energy, my hair, my abilities, my _life!_ Have it all, cause I'm sick of it! I've been through things you can't even _imagine!_ And I'll tell you what's wrong with you, it's your damned attitude! You act all uppity about your abilities, but when I show you up you act like it's my fault! And if you continue with that, you're not going anywhere, not in this school, not in a squad, and not in the fuckin' wa-" Ichigo stopped his rant abruptly, amazing at himself for almost slipping and telling her about the coming war. Not to mention Aizen could probably hear everything they were saying._ That would've been disastrous._

He ignored whatever face Minobe was making and turned to watch the current match, not really seeing anything but the amused-looking man in the corner.

--

The class finally came to end, tediously slow for the impatient captain. The only interesting moments were Kurosaki's match and his spat with his little friend. But what Aizen was most curious about was what Kurosaki was about to say before he stopped himself. From the inflection of the beginning of the word, in almost seemed like the prodigy was going to say "war."

When was the last war in Soul Society, and could Kurosaki have been involved? Was he lying about his age? No, since he still had the appearance of a child, meaning he hadn't been in Soul Society that long and corresponding with what the prodigy had told Funaki. Maybe he could remember a bit from his past life? Of course, his own knowledge of wars in the human world was minimal, since the only thing of the human world he had studied was the spiritual hotspot, Karakura Town. But...all these theories could be overruled by the fact that Kurosaki used "war" in the future tense. Student, shinigami, soldier...that was what the boy had predicted for his friend._ He says his experiences in the past tense, but predicts the same for his friend in the future._ Not to mention this entire train of thought could be irrelevant if Kurosaki meant to say something else. Unlikely though, since Aizen had been hearing people speak and learning about inflections of speech for over a hundred years.

Aizen motioned for his Vice-Captain to follow as he walked out of the hakuda building and told her to get some lunch. Like an obedient puppy she ran off to the food hall, leaving Aizen to confront the prodigy alone. He stood outside the door and congratulated each student on their performance, adding in tidbits that he liked from their match. He knew every one of them would walk to lunch with loyalty to himself, thinking that they had been payed special attention by the Fifth Division Captain.

Kurosaki was of course the last one to leave and Aizen couldn't help but think it was because the child was hoping he would be gone by then. He knew Kurosaki was a lost cause to his own manipulation, so the best he could hope for was to get some information out of the boy and a good response to either Kaname or Gin.

"Ah, Kurosaki-kun. I've been wanting to meet you for a long time. Will you join me for lunch?" He put on his best encouraging smile and hoped for the best.

The boy's face immediately turned white. His eyes glazed over for a moment, another moment where it seemed as though he was retreating into his mind, and he finally answered "Yeah...sure."

"Wonderful." Aizen smiled even wider and pat the boy on the back, pointing him towards the food hall. Thank goodness his worst fear hadn't been realized, the boy hadn't said no. He needed more background on Kurosaki, or something more to go off of. Aizen hated more than anything to be left in the dark, to not always be on the top.

They ate their lunch in relative silence, the food at the academy as plain and bland as Aizen remembered. Every once and a while he noticed that Kurosaki was fighting the urge to spring up and attack him. Then his eyes would glaze over and the prodigy would resume eating. What was going on? Did he have some sort of hate for authority, caused by some event in the past? Was he trying to give the Fifth Division Captain a chance to prove himself? But if he hated authority, why would he become a shinigami? Maybe he planned to rise in the ranks as quickly as possible...was he the same as himself? Did Kurosaki want more power?

"So, Kurosaki-kun," he said as he finished eating, "I'm quite impressed with your skill in hakuda. Although from what I've heard that isn't even your best subject. I have to say I'm curious. What is it that drives you? I've been trying to motivate my squad and I need some tips."

The child looked at him strangely, as though he saw through Aizen's kind facade. It was unnerving, since the last one to do that was his own former captain. Kurosaki sighed, as though he was resigning himself to playing along. "I need to be stronger."

_This will not be easy._ "Oh? May I ask what for?"

The prodigy looked him right in the eyes, silently warning him as he said "For the future."

Aizen smiled, not dropping his mask out of habit, but inside his mind was racing._ Does he know something? There's no possible way...everything has been covered up, vanished. No, it must be something else. _"It's always good to plan for the future and not dwell on the past, Kurosaki-kun. Why did you decide to become a shinigami?"

"I wanted to protect my friends." _Past tense...why? Have they all died? I should have looked more into his background before I came here._

Aizen nodded. "A wonderful virtue for any future shinigami. Have you been thinking of which squad you want to join? The way rumors have been flying in Seireitei you could most likely take your pick. Of course you're always welcome in my squad." He gave his most encouraging smile, the one he saved for manipulating his Vice-Captain.

Kurosaki cleared his throat and took a few deep breaths. "Thank you, Captain, but I haven't decided yet. I'm only a freshman."

The two kept the conversation going a little longer and Kurosaki seemed a bit more comfortable talking to him. Aizen finally decided that he should pay a visit to the principal of the academy before he left and shook the prodigy's hand wishing him luck in school. Although he could've sworn Kurosaki shuddered when Aizen said he was eager to see more of him, the conversation went very well. He had introduced himself, studied the boy's behavior, learned a bit about his skills, and come to three conclusions. _Kurosaki Ichigo is either trying to gain power like me but can't hide his hate for authority, a child who experienced horrible things growing up that made him stronger and gain a hate for authority, or has had contact with Urahara and knows everything about what I'm doing._ Thankfully, the third choice was highly unlikely.

**A/N: Aizen is _so_ hard to write for me, I don't know why I did so much from his perspective. Next time it's Ichigo vs. Renji! Who will win? (Gee, I wonder...)**


	11. The Dog's Folly

**A/N: Wow, I'd like to give a big thank you to all 22 people who reviewed last week! I'm really amazed by how many reviews this story is getting! I'm sorry if I didn't get to replying to questions or whatnot, but I've been very busy this week.  
**

**Alright, back to business. I've had a few people ask about pairings for this story, so I'll reiterate what I said in Chapter One. A Second Chance will be putting no emphasis on any particular pairing, just as the canon does (although it has been leaning very IchiHime lately). That doesn't mean that there won't be any sort of romantic things in the story, but I'm trying to follow canon as closely as possible. I just don't see Ichigo going and proclaiming his love for Rukia or Orihime or anyone else, especially because of the situation he's in. And again, there will be no slash in this story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, only the things I make them do.**

Chapter 11: The Dog's Folly

Ichigo was abruptly woken from his nightmares by the usual morning bell. He sat on the edge of his bed and rested his head in his hands. The unexpected visit from Aizen had taken Ichigo for a spin. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Ichigo had begun getting very comfortable with academy life. Being absorbed in his classes, having new friends stalk him, even reuniting with Rukia, all reminded him of his life before the war. Ichigo thought he had resigned himself to seeing the war through, avenging his friends, and taking down the traitors. But, the very moment he settled in a comfortable schedule, Ichigo found himself letting all that go.

He had let his guard down.

He hadn't been ready for Aizen, and that may have cost them everything. If Shirosaki hadn't been there, constantly bringing him out of his murderous thoughts, Ichigo really would have tried to kill the captain right there. Even then, Ichigo knew Aizen was smart. He knew that if he didn't find some way to fix this all their war efforts would be lost. In fact, he had spent all of that afternoon and the next day trying to figure out what Aizen could possibly conclude from the way Ichigo acted and what he said.

Now it was Friday morning, and Ichigo had only thought of one thing: he needed Rukia to help him. Ichigo finished getting ready and ran out to the fitness class, knowing he would be thankful for the warm-up later. This was the only class he had today and right after he would shunpo to Yoruichi's hideout to meet Rukia and Renji.

Ichigo smirked. The only good thing that came out of that day with Aizen was that now everyone knew he could shunpo, so he no longer needed to hide that particular ability. His first hohou class gave his morale a much-needed raise after he literally ran circles around the other students. He had personally been taught by the Goddess of Flash, after all. But they didn't need to know that.

Thursday was exactly the same as Monday, minus the meditation seminar. He continued to put way too much energy into his kidou, this time almost collapsing the roof when he burned straight through one of the supporting pillars. In zanjutsu he was paired with clumsy Choshi again for half the time and spent the other half sparring the instructor. Ichigo gave Ikoma a nice surprise when he almost defeated him using the man's own technique, but was again beaten down by the instructor. Ikoma said afterwards that he lived up to his nickname of "Mimic Prodigy", whatever that was supposed to mean.

--

"Hey, Ichigo-san! Where are you going?" Ichigo turned around and groaned when he saw Terada, Minobe, and Choshi running to catch up to him. He thought he was in the clear when he saw no sign of his friends in class or on his way to the academy gate. _They must have heard from someone that I was leaving...oh well._ He groaned to himself and answered Terada's question.

"Nowhere..." he said halfheartedly, knowing that the persistent freshmen would try to wring the truth out of him no matter what he said.

Minobe walked up to face him and raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Nowhere, huh? Sounds fun. We're coming too. Besides, we've all been so busy that we haven't visited Nowhere in ages. Why are you going to-"

"Alright! Alright! I get it! Geez, I don't know why I bother to tolerate you people and your sarcasm..."

Terada giggled and caught up with Minobe, Choshi trailing slightly behind. Terada patted Ichigo on the head and ruffled his bright orange hair. "You're so cute when you're annoyed, tiny Ichigo-san!"

He smacked her hand away and frantically pointed between her and Minobe, saying "You can't say anything like that! You're almost the same size as me! Besides I can kick all your asses any day of the week!" He huffed and stomped off towards the the gate out of the academy, the other three snickering and following behind him. Ichigo quickly turned around. "And you're not coming with me!"

--

Ichigo dropped into the concealed entrance, remembering the first time he was taken there by Yoruichi and the last time he was there with the remaining captains. After Seireitei was taken by Aizen, Urahara somehow managed to install a metal base around the hideout that concealed spiritual energy and created the perfect secret base in Soul Society. That, along with various scavenged machines and materials from the Twelfth Division created what the shopkeeper dubbed "Yoruichi's Hideout" after his recently deceased friend.

Ichigo walked deeper into the cavern, recalling the good and bad times spent there when he realized that Rukia wasn't there. It was odd for her to be later than him, though he probably figured it was because she was dragging Renji to get there on time. He sat down on a shorter rock facing the entrance and waited.

Not five minutes after he sat down he heard familiar snickering directly behind him. Ichigo immediately spun around and punched Renji in the face, cracking the sunglasses he wore on his forehead. Rukia stepped out from a nearby outcrop and shook her head. "I told you shouldn't do that, stupid." She looked to Ichigo while Renji was still down, searching his face for any emotion that could give them away. Ichigo had been ready this time though, and only let a flicker of sadness pass over his face when he saw his old friend. Rukia gave him a reassuring smile before resuming her act and stomping over to give Renji a kick to his rear.

Ichigo just watched as the two started a large argument, completely forgetting his existence. He sighed and sat back down, brushing off his academy robes before calling out "Hey, Rukia! Who's this stupid-looking guy?" Renji stomped over, rolling his sleeves up as Ichigo smirked. Some things never changed.

--

Rukia finally got things settled down after the two boys got into a fist-fight that Renji eventually won ("Hey, the stupid bastard cheated!"). It wasn't all that surprising since Renji was a lot bigger than Ichigo and, as he boasted, been out of the academy for over thirty years. Ichigo knew it was because Ikkaku kicked his ass every night and _made_ him get better.

The two dimensional travelers were having a comfortable conversation before Renji got tired of listening and stood up. He pointed at Ichigo and said, "Hey, freshman. I don't know what kind of sissy-tests they have at the academy, but if you want to really gauge your strength you should battle an actual shinigami. And, it just so happens that I'm gracious enough to kick your scrawny ass for you." Renji smirked as he waited for the student's response.

Ichigo looked towards Rukia after Renji made the expected proclamation. She nodded slightly, betraying none of her anticipation for the fight on her face. Rukia quickly unbuckled Sode no Shirayuki and tossed it to Ichigo with a quick "Catch."

He grabbed the sword out of the air with a practiced motion, but Ichigo wasn't expecting the small sword to suddenly become at least five times larger! The moment his hand, and inevitably his spiritual energy, came in contact with the zanpaktou it grew to an enormous size and quickly brought Ichigo to the floor with its increased weight.

Ichigo just stared at it. Sure, back when he had first used the sword it might have been just a little bit crazy in size. But now it was just _ridiculous_! How was he supposed to lift a zanpaktou that was twice as big as when he last wielded it and when he was half the size than he had been at fifteen? "What the crap is this!?" He said to a hysterical Rukia after managing to get his crushed hands out from under the huge zanpaktou. Ichigo pathetically tried to lift the gigantic sword, but the laws of physics wouldn't allow it. This of course made Rukia laugh even harder, eventually dragging Renji down with her as she tried to stand up using his legs.

Ichigo just watched the two as they laughed and rolled on the floor, his eyebrow twitching every few seconds. Whenever it seemed like they were about to calm down one of them glanced at Ichigo and the giant zanpaktou and then the fits of hysterical laughter started all over again. This continued for about five minutes before Ichigo walked up to the pair and delivered quick kicks to their faces.

Rukia and Renji quickly stood up and clutched their throbbing noses before simultaneously pointing at Ichigo and saying "What's the big idea!?"

He just pointed at the gigantic slab of metal. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this?"

Rukia sighed and walked over to Ichigo and Sode no Shirayuki, punched Ichigo in the face, then went on to grab the hilt of her zanpaktou as if nothing had happened. The moment it touched her hand the sword again changed shape, becoming the perfect size for the small shinigami. Rukia turned to Ichigo, a smug look on her face. "Since you obviously don't have a handle on your spiritual energy yet," Ichigo growled, "you can't use Sode no Shirayuki in this form. There's a simple solution to this, however." A look of concentration passed over her face as she spun the zanpaktou. A long white ribbon extended from the hilt as the entire sword turned white, causing Renji to gasp in shock.

"R-Rukia! You didn't call out a release command! When did you learn to do that?" Ichigo didn't seem to be as impressed.

Rukia smirked and wiped a thin layer of sweat from her forehead. "I just got it a few days ago, actually. Thought this would be a good time to show off, since it still takes quite a bit of effort and I'm not the one fighting." She held out the released zanpaktou to Ichigo as Renji sputtered in disagreement.

"Wait, that's not fair! If the brat gets your released sword I'm releasing mine too!" Renji prepared to extend Zabimaru when he was stopped by Rukia. Or Rukia's fist.

"Idiot! Are you really that stupid? The only difference between that and the unreleased form is that it's white and has a ribbon! Do you _want_ to kill him?"

"B-but it's-"

"He can't use any of Sode no Shirayuki's abilities, stupid, only I'm able to do that. It's a fair fight, or are you backing out Scaredy-Eyebrows?" Rukia smirked as her hot-headed friend quickly put the argument to rest and demanded that they start immediately. Meanwhile, Ichigo was examining the sleek sword and getting a feel for its weight when a voice startled him.

_"Hey, it's gettin' kinda cold in here. You okay? What's going on out th-WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?"_

_Shut up. It's probably Rukia's zanpaktou. You seen her before...oh wait, you haven't! Zangetsu told me about her a few months back, so good luck. I heard that she's feisty._

_"Oh god, the claws! Teeth! TEETH!!"_ There was something very satisfying about hearing Shirosaki's screams of pain and fear in his mind. Maybe it was because the hollow had always laughed as Ichigo did the same thing when Rukia attacked him._ Revenge is sweet._

Ichigo was glad that he hadn't unlocked Zangetsu yet, though. During the horrible weeks of recovery after the 'incident' Ichigo had taken to having long talks with his zanpaktou. The old man had been pissed off for months when Ichigo had finally become a shinigami, giving him freedom from wherever the sword was locked up. That exact same instant Sode no Shirayuki waltzed in and pushed him away, taking all the fights for herself. Zangetsu said he endured scratches and headaches from the 'loud-mouthed beast' before hiding himself in the very back of Ichigo's spirit for the next month. Although this saved him when Byakuya nearly killed Ichigo, Zangetsu was still scarred by the experience.

Not to mention that a few days after the 'beast' was finally gone another appeared in the shape of a human. Ichigo was still amazed that his zanpaktou was sane, if a sword could go crazy.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Rukia calling out for him to pay attention. Ichigo looked around to see that the small shinigami was perched on a particularly high spire. He readied Rukia's sword and faced his opponent, the usual feeling of excitement rising in him.

Renji looked smug and almost carelessly slid into position, waiting for Rukia's word.

"Match: Kurosaki Ichigo and Abarai Renji. Ready 3...2...1...GO!"

Ichigo wasted no time and shunpoed to Renji, raising Sode no Shirayuki only to have it blocked at the last second. The two jumped back before Renji ran forward with a cry, secretly mortified that a simple freshman had nearly caught him off guard. Said freshman easily blocked and the two came to a standstill, trying to gain power over the other. Ichigo was having problems using his spiritual energy with Sode no Shirayuki, and couldn't seem to put as much in as with Zangetsu. He knew he would be overpowered by Renji if he couldn't raise his energy enough.

Ichigo abruptly backed out from their struggle, avoiding Zabimaru by spinning and drilling both legs towards Renji (his dad's move, of all things). Renji dodged the attack and swung his zanpaktou down as Ichigo barely evaded by rolling out of the way. The two faced each other again and leapt, swords crashing together. This time Renji surprised him by sweeping his leg around and getting Ichigo in his side. That was all the distraction Renji needed before he managed to scratch Ichigo's face.

The two stood apart again, breathing heavily. Renji smirked, "You're not bad, for a freshman. It's almost like-hey, wait a second...are you that prodigy that everyone's talking about? Rukia, why didn't you tell me you knew the Mimic Prodigy!?" Ichigo sensed this would take a while, so he focused on catching his breath and seeing of he could force more energy into the sword.

"Because I knew you would do something like this, stupid! And what the hell is a 'Mimic Prodigy?'"

Renji laughed, "That's what they're calling him nowadays. Don't know who started it, but it seems to fit." He looked at Ichigo and scowled. Quick-stepping over he raised his blade at Ichigo's head, but it was blocked. "Don't let your guard down, idiot!"

"I didn't." Ichigo calmly said as he sidestepped another blow and started on the offensive._ Hey, stop yelling, you're distracting me!_

_"Why the hell does she get to fight and I don't!?"_

Ichigo gritted his teeth as he barely blocked a strong blow from Renji._ Shut up and help me out here. Why aren't I kicking his ass? This fight should be a piece of cake!_

_"It's that damn zanpaktou, she's over there sleeping cause 'you're not her master'. You should let ME fight!"_

Something the hollow said reminded Ichigo of a meeting they had a long time ago. Everyone was needed to describe their abilities to their comrades so that proper match-ups could be made and strategies would be more efficient in fights. Just about everyone was surprised when it was Ikkaku's turn and he finally came out about his bankai._ "...and in order to use it's full destructive force I've first got to wake up the bastard..."_ Ichigo's eyes widened as the simple answer came to him.

Ichigo jumped back from his opponent and landed on top of a smaller rock. He grabbed Sode no Shirayuki by the end of the ribbon and started spinning it above his head. The last time he had done this was when he rescued Rukia, and couldn't believe he let so a powerful and useful move go to waste. He felt spiritual energy flow into the blade as he spun it faster, surprised that Renji was just standing there and not taking the chance to attack.

But Renji couldn't take his eyes away from the awe-inspiring sight. The kid's energy just kept rising, seeming to have no limit. His eyes turned bright blue and the air swirled around him, crackling with power._ I haven't seen this much spiritual energy since Captain Kuchiki,_ Renji thought with despair. He readied himself to do the only thing he could do; dodge._ So that's why they call him a prodigy._ He dove out of the way as the the small student struck out, lashing the sword towards him with the long white ribbon. Blue energy extended far past the blade, cutting through everything it touched. Renji could only look on in horror as the dust cleared and he saw the destruction Kurosaki wrought.

He sensed the freshman approaching and brought his blade up as fast as possible, barely saving himself when Sode no Shirayuki crashed down with amazing force. Renji was pushed back to one of the rocks and struggled to keep fighting as Kurosaki slowly pushed Zabimaru back. Renji growled and did the only thing he could think of to save himself. He ran his hand along his zanpaktou and called out "Howl, Zabimaru!" He faintly heard Rukia telling him to stop, but forced Kurosaki back by swinging the extended blade at him.

It was too late when he realized that the prodigy took advantage of his open position. The kid shot back towards Renji, actually running on top of Zabimaru before he put Sode no Shirayuki to the shinigami's defenseless throat. Rukia clapped and yelled out "Winner: Kurosaki Ichigo!"

--

Renji opened up to Ichigo much more after the fight, even if he kept threatening to beat him up later. Rukia and Renji shared their experiences at the academy while Ichigo told them what had changed or stayed the same, and Renji even shared a few of his stories from outings with his division. Ichigo cringed when he realized that Kenpachi wanted to fight him, and laughed when he learned what Yachiru had done to Yumichika's face. Finally they could see it getting dark outside and decided to call it a day. After extracting a promise from Ichigo to come every Friday the three headed for the exit.

Ichigo managed to hint to Rukia to visit him very soon, and before leaving, Rukia turned to Ichigo and smirked. "I know _you_ couldn't sense it, cause you're a dense idiot, but you should probably talk to your friends about spying." She pointed at a large outcropping of rocks and laughed as she followed Renji off into the night. Ichigo growled and stomped off towards the rocks as he finally became aware of three more presences in the room.

**A/N: Busted! Anyway, a special thank you to Shezza88 for planting the idea of the ribbon-spin in my head, and hopefully the battle lived up to everyone's expectations (I never can tell with my fight scenes). Oh, and if Shirosaki seems OOC, there is a very good reason for that. No, I'm not telling you why yet. See you next week!**


	12. Critical Conversations

**A/N: Hello again! I'm glad you all liked the battle last chapter, and thanks for your reviews! I'm sorry if I didn't get to responding, but it's been another busy week for me.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, only the things I make them do.**

Chapter 12: Critical Conversations

_I'm going to fucking kill them. They will all die a slow painful death. What exactly did I tell them before I left? 'You're not coming with me?' Why didn't they get the fucking picture?_ These thoughts and some very similar ones ran through Ichigo's head as he stomped over to try and locate his leeches-in-the-guise-of-friends. It was an extremely fortunate thing that Renji decided to accompany Rukia, because if they had heard the plans that the two dimensional travelers were originally going to discuss...while Ichigo had no doubt that Rukia would have sensed them as she did today, they would probably have discovered something about the 'prodigy's' true origin.

Ichigo growled as he peeked around another rock, only to discover that he had mistaken the energy signatures and they were actually coming from the _next_ spire. "That's it! Enough games, get out here you three!"

Ichigo waited another ten seconds, impatiently tapping his foot. He was about to yell out again when three figures stepped out of the shadows. Ichigo was a bit pleased to see Choshi looking sheepish, but Terada was projecting her usual half-amused look and Minobe had a scowl on her face that he was sure matched his own. Ichigo stared at all three for a little bit before he couldn't contain himself anymore. "What the fuck did I say about following me!? Why the hell did you come here!? Do you _enjoy_ intruding on people's lives!?"

Normally Ichigo would've taken this kind of thing in a stride, but seeing Renji again and coming so close to revealing his and Rukia's secret sent him over the edge, not to mention that he was still jumpy from when Aizen visited. Minobe's scowl got fiercer as he continued ranting before she hurled her fist at him. Ichigo caught it and flung her arm away from him. "No, you listen to me! I don't know what you find so amusing about shadowing me, but you've all made fools of yourselves in front of a noble and a future Vice-Captain!" Out of the corner of his eye he saw Terada look at him in surprise, then turn away with a pensive look on her face.

Choshi stepped to the front of the girls and looked down at Ichigo. "Please Kurosaki-san, Minobe-san has a proposal to make, now that my suspicions were proven true." He put a hand on the small girl's shoulder, almost willing her to calm down, before he stepped back towards Terada who was still lost in thought.

Minobe sighed. "Right. Choshi mentioned to me in passing that you might not be very good at controlling your spiritual energy, so I wanted to prove it. Since you couldn't notice or find us, you _obviously_ are seriously lacking in that department."

Ichigo scowled in annoyance and rolled his eyes. "Great, let's all follow Ichigo so we can mock him for something he already knows. What fun."

"The thing is," she continued, pretending she didn't hear him, "we're your friends. I have no idea why, but we are. And I don't know if you've realized this, but Choshi here is the best spiritual signature reader Soul Society's seen in centuries." He looked away in embarrassment. "I'm positive you didn't notice this as well, but I have very little spiritual energy. I'm the first person to ever be let into the First Class with only Level Three energy. That's about 15th seat." Minobe smirked. "Do you know why they let me in? I don't mean to brag, but I'm the expert in spiritual energy manipulation and using mine to its maximum capacity."

Terada finally came out her self-induced trance and pushed her friend away, speaking up for herself. "What Chatty is trying to say here is that we'll help you learn how to manipulate your energy in ways our own professors haven't thought of." Ichigo looked at each of them in shock. "The only thing _you_ have to do, Ichigo-san, is tutor us in the fighting arts."

"W-wait...what? You stalk me and then expect me to teach you how to fight? You guys couldn't kill a hollow-_salamander_. I've got far more important things to worry about then a bunch of little kids that don't think a professor is good enough for them." He turned and started walking towards the exit before Minobe grabbed his arm. He turned sharply and pulled her towards him, looking her in the eyes. _"Don't try to understand us. You have no idea what we've been through." _Ichigo shunpoed out of Yoruichi's hideout as fast as he could, leaving three pale-faced figures behind him.

_What the hell was that?  
_

_"Sorry King, I didn't mean it. I just got angry, you know? My control slipped."_

_...what the hell did that bastard do to us?_

--

"No, I swear it's true! Why won't you believe me!?"

"Maybe Ichigo-san has a strange health problem? He certainly seems to be suffering from high blood pressure." Minobe, Terada, and Choshi were walking to the food hall and comparing notes on what happened the previous day.

"It wasn't blood! It was like part of his eye turned black, then went back to normal! And for a second I swear I could hear two voices talking, not just Kurosaki-kun."

"I thought I was imagining that, Minobe-san, but it seems that he was talking with two voices, if only for a moment..." He trailed off, wishing he was alone so he could write down the new information in his notebook.

Terada ran in front of the two and blocked their path. "M-maybe it's just a family trait, you know, like some older nobles have? I heard that the Shihouin family can turn into cats!" She gazed of into the distance and then turned to Minobe. "Didn't you tell me that Ichigo was a noble?"

The other girl looked thoughtful. "Yeah, Choshi-kun could tell from Kurosaki-kun's energy signature...but why did he tell us a story about when he was human?" Minobe hit her own head a few times. "Kurosaki-kun is so confusing! Maybe we should just leave his past alone. He's our friend, right? And he needs our help!" She ran past Terada and motioned for the other two to follow.

--

Minobe found Ichigo exactly as she expected him to be: sleeping in his breakfast. She swiftly walked over to him and gave him a good kick in the shin. To her great surprise, Ichigo didn't even stir. She kicked him on his other leg, but he was still fast asleep, or at least pretending. Minobe was not by any means a patient girl, so after thinking for a few seconds she walked the Ichigo's head and pressed his head further down into the rice. Choshi fidgeted nervously and Terada studied her nails as Minobe pressed Ichigo's head as far into his bowl as it could go. After a few seconds she finally got her response, but instead of flailing around and hitting her as she expected him to, his hand groggily reached up and started searching for the thing that was holding him down.

With a sigh Minobe stopped her death grip on Ichigo's head and stood back, crossing her arms. The small prodigy slowly rose from his breakfast, blearily wiping the rice from his face. He then looked at his legs, as if confused why they were throbbing in pain. Ichigo scratched his head and looked towards the trio.

Minobe had the grace to look slightly guilty. Her jerk of a friend looked like he hadn't slept for a month and couldn't seem to focus his eyes on anything. Terada stepped forward and grabbed Ichigo's arm, literally dragging him out of the food hall before Choshi and Minobe could say anything. They blinked and looked at each other before quickly following. Choshi was able to track Terada to the secretary's office, where she had just started a conversation with the woman stationed there.

"Good morning Hirano-san. I was hoping you could excuse Kurosaki Ichigo-san from all his classes today. I would tell him to ask himself, but he seems pretty out of it right now."

The secretary looked at Ichigo, taking in his pale complexion and eyes that stared straight ahead, not seeming to see anything. "Oh dear, I'll excuse him, but just make sure you get him straight to his dorm room." She grabbed a scroll and scratched something out before attaching it to a Hell Butterfly. "Kurosaki Ichigo...he's the freshman prodigy, right? You might want to let him know that the Fifth Division Captain and his Vice-Captain are very intent on getting him a good position." Hirano winked before she waved them off and went back to sending out scrolls.

As the trio brought Ichigo back to his room Minobe and Terada chatted amiably and Choshi fell back, intently studying Ichigo, then looking at the rooftops. After a few seconds he opened his mouth to say something but decided against it, instead playing along with what the prodigy and his friend had set up.

--

It was true, Ichigo had gotten very little sleep the previous night. However, he wasn't being dragged by his unsuspecting (as far as he knew) friends. Ichigo was instead back at Yoruichi's Hideout, waiting for Rukia to show up. She had woken him up early in the morning and told him to run over to Yoruichi's Hideout while she catches up. Now it was quite a few hours later and Ichigo found himself bored out of his mind.

He had walked, jogged, and shunpoed the perimeter of the cave forty-two times. He did all of his morning warm-ups 4 times. He climbed up every spire worth climbing five times each. He had even soaked in the hot spring that Yoruichi had shown him for an hour. And Rukia _still_ wasn't there. Of course, one of the few times his hollow could actually be of use and keep him occupied, the jerk complained of a headache and left him alone.

Ichigo was just thinking of what he could do next when Rukia finally walked through the opening. "Finally! What the hell could take you_ six hours_ to do!? Do you have any idea how boring it is in here!?"

Rukia just took her time walking to him before punching Ichigo in the head. "Be grateful, stupid. I just did a high-level kidou to get you out of classes, and waited around to make sure that your friends bought it. Is you falling asleep in your breakfast really a normal thing?"

Ichigo glared at her and rubbed his throbbing nose. "Well, did it work?"

"Yeah...but one of the kids seemed a bit suspicious of it, and he kept looking up at where I was hiding and watching..."

Ichigo sighed. "Was he a little shorter than I used to be, with short-cut black hair?" She nodded. "Then that's Choshi. They've been going on about he's the best signature-reader or whatever."

Rukia stared at him for a second. "I can trust you to keep the situation under control, right? You remember what Urahara said?" Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Good. Now, we've got a lot of things to discuss. I'm sure you've noticed, but Urahara sent us to the past of an alternate dimension, not our own past."

"WHAT!? How the hell did you figure that out!?"

Rukia rolled her eyes and smacked him upside the head. "We arrived in the past six years ago. It's been a year since then." Ichigo was surprised, thinking he had only been in the past for about two weeks. "Clearly the timeline diverged where your mother couldn't save you, and the hollow changed you into one of it's own. You roamed as a hollow for two years before being purified and sent to Soul Society, but in the middle of those two years _you_ were merged with your past self. You know what happened from there. What the hell did you think happened to you?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I figured I managed to mess something up and decided to meet up with you before I really gave the subject any thought. So what are we going to do?"

"Unfortunately all the plans I made last year were made useless when I discovered your hollow eradication form...we're going blind from here on out."

"Damn it...why the hell didn't Urahara come with us? He would've had this all figured out five years ago!"

Rukia chuckled. "Exactly. Although I have no idea what the future will bring, I've been coming up with a shaky plan to get things back on track."

Ichigo jumped in the air and pumped his fist. "Yeah!" He gave her a thumbs up and a fake smile. "I had almost begun to doubt you, Rukia, but it turns out you really _are_ good for something!" She swept his legs out from under him and punched him in the stomach.

"You're going to spend a year in the Academy and join a Division. If you can keep your temper then you should probably join Three or Five. Tousen was too good at hiding his intentions to reveal anything useful to us. You're going to stay away from any missions in the real world while building up your old relationships. Then, when I'm assigned to Karakura Town, I'll request to bring you with me to give you some real world experience and for safety, since I heard somewhere that Karakura Town had some pretty strong hollows." Rukia sat back and looked extremely satisfied with herself.

"No."

She jumped up. "What do you mean, 'no'!? It's perfect!"

Ichigo looked away. "You said I was killed that night, right? That means I'm the one...I'm the one that tore the family apart, for real this time. I won't be able to look at Dad, or Yuzu and Karin...and what about Tatsuki? I can't just waltz in like nothing happened..."

Rukia looked at him sadly. "It's better than them being dead, Ichigo."

"No! They _are_ dead, and nothing can bring them back! We're not in the past, we're in a different dimension! These aren't the same people anymore, we have no connection to them, and there's nothing we can do to bring our real friends back." Ichigo stood up and walked away, leaving Rukia to realize the implications of what Urahara had done. Their friends had died and there was nothing they could do to change their horrible fate.

Rukia stood up and ran towards Ichigo, finding him standing in the wide open with his fists clenched. "Ichigo! Control yourself!" He started and the blue energy that had been spinning wildly around him disappeared. She walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You're right, there's nothing we can do to save our friends and family. But, if we hadn't come here we would have died as well. Now, we're here in this dimension. We can make a difference _here_ and save _these_ people, even if they're not exactly like remember." She smiled softly. "We failed to save our friends the first time, but now we have a second chance. We can do it this time and save Renji, nii-sama, Captian Ukitake, Orihime, Sado, Ishida, and everyone else! We've got to, because if we don't, Aizen will win again!"

Ichigo remained still for a moment, then turned towards her and nodded._ If there was any hope, he would cling to it_, Rukia thought as she grinned,_ because that's the kind of person Ichigo is._

They both sat back down and Ichigo motioned for her to continue with her plan, not trusting himself to speak. "No matter what we feel we _must_ go to the real world and re-establish relationship with our allies. Without Orihime, Sado, and Ishida on our side there's almost no hope of winning the war. I know you're not going to like this, but we've got to tell Urahara everything."

To her surprise, Ichigo nodded. "No, that's a good idea. He can help us figure this mess out." A devious smile crossed his face. "Plus, we can get him to take out the Hougyoku! That should give that bastard a nasty surprise if he ever tries to get his hands on you!"

"I have a better idea, but there's no way I'm telling you. You'd never agree."

Ichigo crossed his arms. "Well now you have to tell me."

Rukia shook her head vigorously, then sat up straight and looked off into the distance. "My kidou is starting to fade, Ichigo. We'll have to talk another time. Run back before anyone notices!" Ichigo sighed before getting up and waving to Rukia._ That was awfully convenient..._he shunpoed as fast as he could on the rooftops of buildings, trying to take in everything Rukia told him. He had been so happy about being a real shinigami and being accepted into the academy that he'd completely forgotten that he was supposed to be with his friends and family in the human world. It made Ichigo want to kill something when he thought about how devastated his family must be right now. He couldn't even bring himself to wonder his mother was still alive, since there was almost no chance...

Ichiog jumped through the conveniently open window in his dorm room just in time to find a sleeping version of himself sat down on his bed and stared out the window. _There was so much more I needed to talk to her about..._ He thought about writing down a list of topics, but then realized that it would be disasterous if anyone saw it. He decided it was better to just let the information sink in before acting on it and lay down on his bed, closing his eyes even though he knew no sleep would come.

--

"Yo, Abarai." Renji turned to see Ikkaku strolling down to meet him.

"Hey Ikkaku-san. What're you doing here?"

Ikkaku made a face. "New recruits don't seem to get the concept of work, so I figured it was high time to beat some sense into 'em. Wanna come?"

Renji stood up and brushed himself off. "Sure, I've got nothing better to do. Where are we going?"

The bald shinigami looked around. "We've gotta track down the little bastards first. Come on!" He took off around a corner and Renji followed closely behind.

They were almost down when Ikkaku decided to pursue a topic that Renji definitely didn't want to discuss. "So Abarai, where were you yesterday? Yachiru said she didn't see you at dinner."

Renji looked away nervously. "Uh...Rukia wanted me to help her with something, but it ended up taking all day. No big deal."

"Yeah sure, now tell me what _really_ happened, and why you didn't invite me."

Renji sighed. "Rukia has a friend in the freshman class that she wanted to meet with, so I decided to tag along."

Ikkaku laughed. "Yeah, right, more like you wanted to beat some respect into his sorry ass. What'd you do to him?" Renji was silent. "Wow, he must've really sucked if you hurt him that bad. Is that why Kuchiki didn't come around today?"

"No. I told her she wasn't allowed to go near me until she calmed down..."

Ikkaku stared at him. "You didn't...you didn't _lose_, right?" Renji was silent again. "N-NO WAY!!" Ikkaku started laughing hysterically before falling off the rooftop they'd been on and landing flat on his face. Not missing a beat, he rolled on the floor for a few minutes, alternating between laughing and groaning in pain. He then stood up and ran off laughing in the opposite direction they'd been going. Renji knew that by the end of the day everyone in Soul Society would know that Abarai Renji, Fouth Seat of the Eleventh Division, got his ass handed to him by a freshman in the Shinigami Academy.

Renji sighed before racing off to that cave Rukia showed him yesterday, knowing that he wouldn't be able to come out for about a year.

**A/N: Poor Renji and Ichigo...sorry this chapter has so much dialogue, but it had to be done. It was a real pain trudging through this chapter, and you can see that it's still a little late.**

**On a different note, I've just finished a pic of Minobe if anyone if curious to see what I think she looks like. Just go to my profile and there's a link to my deviantART there. Thanks for reading!**


	13. The Truth

**A/N: Wow, wow, wow. Yes I'm back. I can't tell you how sorry I am that this update took so long, but life just caught up with me and left this story in the backseat. I actually forgot to mention in the previous chapter that I'd be going on vacation where there was very limited computer access for a few weeks, and figured that you wouldn't appreciate it if I put up and A/N saying that instead of a chapter.**

**Then once we came back, between preparing for school to start, studying for my driver's permit, and doing about six hours of AP US History summer homework a day I didn't even want to think about doing more typing, and had a huge writers block that stopped me from doing anything when I actually _did_ have the time.**

**But enough about my woes. As you can see, I've finally kicked my self in the rear (with a little help from -****_'SeeUsMerrilyEatRadish'-_) and here's your chapter. Oh, and whether I've responded to your review or not, I've read each one and thank you all, if it was just a quick note or something I've overlooked in the story. Please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, only the thing I make them do.**

Chapter 13: The Truth

Even after nearly a week passed, Ichigo couldn't seem to calm his nerves. He seemed to jump at every sound, every time he accidently bumped into something. The shock of Aizen visiting, Rukia's revelation, and all the training he'd been doing for the past two weeks had reawakened the senses that he thought had been buried after the months he needed for recuperation during what seemed like a lifetime ago.

In truth, it was the terrible 'incident' with Aizen was a catalyst for the downfall of their war efforts. Ichigo was left in a coma for two months following the battle and that was when Aizen took the chance to truly strike. Orihime was quickly and unexpectedly assaulted and put out of the picture when she too went into a coma. Ishida and Chad, who were also gravely wounded protecting her since Ichigo was out of commission, were cut down three days later. Without Orihime there to quickly reverse injuries, and the Fourth Division working almost literally to death, almost no one got a second chance in battle.

Rukia, who was the last one to be healed by Orihime, did her best to aid in the war efforts but the deaths of her new friends and Ichigo's condition affected her too greatly to be of any use. When Renji was killed along with Jinta and Ururu protecting Urahara Shoten, Byakuya pulled her out of the war completely. It was maybe this that made Rukia even more determined to be of use in this war, even though in Ichigo's opinion she'd certainly done enough to help.

The higher-ranking shinigami were slowly struck down by the remaining Espada, except for a few that were killed personally by Ichimaru or Tousen. By the end of the month only four divisions were left with captains and even less with vice-captains. Urahara had taken over for the Twelfth Division, Unohana was exhausting herself trying to save everyone, Shunsui was inconsolable after Ukitake and Nanao were killed, and Yamamoto seemed to be everywhere at once, trying to end the war by himself. Even only a few vaizards made it through that month of detrimental attacks, leaving Hirako, Kensei, and Rose to fend for themselves.

Yamamoto was the only one to have the 'honor' of being killed by Aizen. Once the weathered commander was down, everything seemed lost. Aizen's forces quickly took control of Soul Society with no problems, since they'd already eliminated the Central 46 and none of the noble families were strong enough to oppose them. Although the remaining shinigami set up a base at Yoruichi's Hideout, all that was left to do was to wait for Aizen to destroy Karakura Town.

But he didn't. No one knew why, but the former captain instead chose to search for the Key mentioned by Yamamoto. It was to this that Ichigo woke up to two months after the 'incident'. He could barely function under the pounding headache that lingered for weeks, and each reported death hit him harder than the last.

Rukia had told him in a soft voice how his trusted comrades were wiped out, then went on to brokenly tell him of everyone else's fates. Ukitake was taken down in a moment of weakness by Ichimaru, Hitsugaya was killed by Tousen after trying to protect Hinamori, who was killed in turn after pleading with Aizen to come back. Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Kenpachi died exactly how they wanted, in one of the greatest (and most beautiful, that Yumichika made sure of) battles in shinigami history. Yachiru was taken hostage by Tousen, since Komamura told them the former captain couldn't kill a child.

Byakuya and Yoruichi died side by side fighting back three high-level Espada before the battle came to a horrible draw. Matsumoto, Hisagi, and Kira also died together in battle. Yamamoto, Sasakibe, Soifon, Omeada, Isane, Komamura, Iba, Nanao, Mayuri, Nemu, the list went on and on as Ichigo tried to take in everything that changed while he was out.

When Ichigo asked Rukia about his family, she could barely keep her composure. He felt completely dead inside when she told him that they'd found Yuzu, Karin, and Tessai's bodies in the Clinic and his father was nowhere to be found. So, Ichigo sat helplessly in his bed for the next week, slowly regaining the ability to think clearly and move without bolts of pain shooting through his body. He impassively listened to reports of Shunsui's death, Unohana's final stand, and Hirako's brave sacrifice. Even Rukia couldn't help him regain his good spirits, since she herself was in the same state of mind.

One night though, as Ichigo stared at Orihime's unmoving form on the bed next to him, the voice in his head he'd despised for so long spoke up. It was strange, but the hollow slowly became a friend to him. A cranky, whiny, annoying sort of friend, and Ichigo reasoned to himself that he was probably out of his mind for tolerating the leech even a little bit, but it did the trick. He found himself slowly opening back up, since you couldn't truly ignore a voice in your head. He started having long talks with Zangetsu, put more effort into recovering, and even lifted Rukia's spirits to the point of things almost being back to normal.

Meanwhile, Urahara was far too busy to inquire about Ichigo's condition. The captain-turned-shopkeeper-turned-captain-again was frantically trying to come up with war plans, sneaking off to meet with 'allies' (though Ichigo suspected he wasn't telling the whole truth), and trying desperately to find the location of the King's Key, if only to get there first. It was only when Ichigo fully recovered that Urahara's strange personality came back full force. The two knew why when Urahara revealed his far-fetched scheme of traveling to the past to fix everything, and hope returned full-force to Yoruichi's hideout. The three snuck out in the middle of the night and returned to the battle-worn and empty shop, staying for only two days before the crazy genius was ready.

Now looking back, Ichigo knew why Urahara suddenly seemed so carefree. He was completely sure that the eccentric shopkeeper committed suicide in one form or another after sending off the last two vestiges of the resistence.

Ichigo sighed. All his ties were officially cut from the previous dimension. He'd always wondered why Urahara didn't come with them, and to get the true answer he'd most likely have to ask the shopkeeper here for some insight. He had another chance that he wouldn't normally have gotten thanks to Urahara, and though he knew the sudden collapse of their side's forces was mainly his own fault, Ichigo had to make the most of this chance. But that all was in the past, and right now Ichigo needed to concentrate on the present.

Namely, the three shadows he'd seemed to acquire overnight. Ichigo had spent the last week tracking Minobe, Choshi, and Terada and avoiding them once he knew where they were. Thanks to doing the same for months with arrancar in his 'previous life', he had no problems avoiding several ambushes. Of course, he had to admit it would be much easier if he could actually sense spiritual energy, but that would be losing to _them_.

--

Renji was in a bind. It was bad enough when word got out that he'd been beaten by Rukia, a little _girl_. But at least she'd been a full-fledged shinigami for many years, and his own good friend. Now he'd lost a battle with a little freshman who was fighting with a borrowed zanpaktou! Renji knew Kenpachi wouldn't care about the battles he lost, since the Captain would be too focused on fighting the shinigami that won. No, his job wouldn't be in jeopardy. His _pride_, however, and his self-esteem had never been lower.

_Maybe I've been aiming too high, _he thought in despair as he sat on a rock spire, overlooking the chasm Kurosaki created during their battle. _Maybe Captain Kuchiki isn't the one I should be aiming to beat._ Renji hopped down from his seat and walked to the deep cut in the rock. Spiritual energy still pulsed in it's depths, wild and uncontrolled. _This kid's got more energy than Ikkaku...and he hasn't even gotten his zanpaktou yet...not to mention he's only a midget. He's going to be a monster in a few decades..._

Renji stared down the long slice in the earth, contemplating his goals. _No, Captain Kuchiki is too far for me right now. Maybe in a century, but not now. Besides,_ he thought, chuckling a bit to himself,_ Rukia seems to be able to take care of herself. I'd forgotten how tough she is._ Renji smirked._ Kurosaki Ichigo. You're my new goal. I'll have to defeat Rukia, then Ikkaku, and maybe even Kuchiki, if you're strong enough, but someday I'll be strong enough to beat you._

That was when Renji realized he wasn't doing enough. He had enough spiritual energy to maybe make Captain someday, but he didn't want to be _just another Captain,_ like Tousen or something. He needed to be great, and training for a few hours a day and slacking off the rest wouldn't do that. At this pace he only make Vice-Captain in a few years, despite his large amount of energy, and it would probably take _another _five years to attain bankai, despite the fact he'd been working for it during the past eight years.

"So you've finally seen it." Renji whipped around at the sound of the low voice. He stared dumbstruck at the sight before him. The soul he'd so far only seen in his mind was standing before him, the snake-tail whipped around in an excited frenzy as the large baboon sat patiently before him.

"He he, look at the dumbass' face. He can't believe he managed to call us out." The snake laughed some more and rose up to get a clear look at it's partner's face.

The baboon ignored him. "You have finally seen, Renji, that you are simply an ordinary shinigami, despite your wish to become extraordinary." The zanpaktou paused. "But, with the right effort you _can_ become extraordinary."

"That's what we're here to help you with." Zabimaru said, chuckling a bit in anticipation.

--

_Only one more day,_ Ichigo thought, _one more day, then I'll be able to see the only sane face around here._ He heard the tell-tale footsteps behind him and dodged to the left, taking a detour around the Math and Sciences building. But it was really a fake, and Ichigo leapt to the roof and ran to his destination on top of the other buildings, noting with satisfaction Minobe's confused face underneath him.

Ichigo honestly thought he would go insane if Rukia and Shiro (_"That's not my damn name!"_) weren't with him. He needed someone to vent to, and right now Rukia was the only one he could talk to...well besides that incessant voice in his head. Ichigo was literally counting down the days until that Sunday four months from now when they received their actual zanpaktous. Asuachis were handed out to those ready for them a few days ago, and Ichigo honestly thought he would be better off with the wooden sword.

Ichigo took a great leap onto the next roof that he recognized as the larger Hakuda gym. He scowled at the thought of the sword strapped to his back. Asuachi was a perfect name for the weak little thing. At least with wood he could use a good amount of spiritual energy, even if it didn't do anything. _This_ stupid hunk of metal started shaking uncontrollably if he even put a little energy into it.

_Four more months, _he thought, _four more months until we have the session to find our zanpaktous, whatever that means._ Ichigo caught a glimpse of short black hair and quickly went the opposite direction, whether it was Choshi or not.

_"You're not the only one sufferin' around here King. Only being able to listen to your whiny thoughts is really gettin' on my last nerve. Not to mention that headache keeps comin' back, and some of those scratches from the demon-cat haven't healed yet...NEVER bring that fucking thing back here, or I swear I'll kill you."_

_Uh-oh, lapsing back into old habits are we? I thought you had 'reason' now._

_"I have reason enough to know that if you subject me to that damned thing again, you deserve to be punished."_

Ichigo chuckled. Who knew Rukia's zanpaktou could be so ferocious and territorial? He kind of wanted to know what it looked like, but neither Zangetsu (back in the old dimension) or Shiro would talk about it.

He spotted the boy's dorm in the distance and made his final sprint towards it, dashing through his open window and quickly closing it behind him. Ichigo fell onto his bed with an exhausted breath. Even though he knew the three leeches didn't have the skill or the power to catch him, you could never be too careful.

--

BONG! BONG! BONG!

Ichigo blearily rose out of bed, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Oh, shut up," he said as he walked over to his dresser and pulled out his uniform. Despite how annoying the bell was, Ichigo was glad that he was finally used to the morning wake-up call and had stopped literally flying of of bed. He threw open his window and hopped out, just in case his leeches were waiting in the dorm lobby like last monday.

It only took him a half-hour to reach Yoruichi's hideout, but it seemed like hours to the socially-deprived student. After checking to make sure no one was following him for the ninth time, Ichigo stopped in front of the entrance and hopped in.

Of course, he certainly wasn't expecting the place to be occupied by _two_ people. Ichigo froze was he watched Rukia and Renji battle it out in the screaming match to end all screaming matches.

**_"I need this place for training, you bitch!! Go find somewhere else to chat it up with your stupid friend!!"_**

**_"If you don't like it, go train SOMEWHERE ELSE!! I CALLED THIS PLACE!! IT'S MINE, YOU FREAKIN' BASTARD!!"_**

_**"I'VE BEEN LIVING HERE FOR THE PAST WEEK!! DON'T YOU TALK TO ME ABOUT CLAIMS!!"**_

_**"SHUT THE HELL UP!! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE HERE!!"**_

Ichigo watched in mild horror as Rukia gave a feral scream and leapt at Renji, Sode no Shirayuki already out of it's sheath. Renji answered with a bellow and the two blades met in midair. The shinigami threw away all finesse in their need to maim the other, flailing wildly as the swords crashing together again and again. Ichigo let them battle it out for a few minutes before deciding he'd had enough.

He smiled evilly as he put his arms into position, calling out above the din of the swords, "Way of Destruction Number 31!" Rukia turned towards him, eyes wide in horror before leaping out of the way. She looked back to Renji and screamed at him to get out of the way. _"Red Flame Cannon!!" _A blinding white light flared up from Ichigo's outstretched hand and annihilated the spire behind where the two shinigami had been battling a few seconds prior.

Ichigo shook his hand and blew on it before turning to the others in the cavern. "Now if you to are done letting out sexual tension-"

"What the hell are you talking about, you idiot!? I wouldn't even _look_ at this pineapple if he was the last man on Earth!!"

"What are you on!? Why would I ever even _associate_ with this hot-headed midget!?"

The two turned to each other and yelled at the same time. _** "Who are you calling a midget!!"**_

**_"Who are you calling a pineapple!!"_**

"Will you two please _shut up!!_" Rukia and Renji quickly shut their mouths but continued glaring at each other. "Thank you. Is the area clear? No little spies?"

"Crystal." Rukia grumbled.

"Good. Rukia, I want to tell him."

She stared at him, opening and closing her mouth a few times before hissing "Are you completely insane?_ Have you lost your mind?_ We can't tell this loud-mouthed buffoon _anything! Do you recall what Urahara said!?"_

Ichigo crossed his arms and ignored Renji, who was looking extremely confused. "He specifically said not to tell the three captains. That's 'Urahara' for 'you can tell whoever you want as long as it's not those three and word won't get back to them.' I don't know about you, but I trust Renji not to go running to the traitors."

Rukia sputtered. "Well _of course_ I trust him, you of all people should know that! But-"

Ichigo continued, ignoring her protests. "And if _I_ were him, I would want to know what's going on. Not to mention he'll be the closest to us for the next few years and will probably find out anyway."

Rukia sighed. "_Yes_, but-"

"Plus, if we tell him now, he might be a little more motivated to not get himself killed in the future."

Rukia stopped her protests and looked off into the distance, debating with herself silently.

"Could someone please tell me _what the hell is going on?_" Renji kept looking between his childhood friend and the prodigy he barely knew.

The silence continued for a few seconds before Rukia said quietly. "He won't believe us."

"Not at first, no."

"He'll think we've gone insane."

"Yes, but he'll see the truth behind it eventually."

"..."

"It'll be a lot better with him around, trust me."

"...Fine. Renji, sit down. You too Ichigo."

The three plopped down and got comfortable with Rukia thought how to best approach explaining the future to Renji.

Meanwhile, the red-haired shinigami fidgeted. "Alright, are you two..._together_ or something? Cause if you are-" Under any other circumstance the two would have burst out into laughter at the thought, but now they just shook their heads.

After a few minutes of sitting in silence Rukia finally looked up at Renji. "You know Urahara Kisuke, right? The one who was exiled for conducting experiments with hollowification, along with Tsukabishi Tessai and Shihouin Yoruichi?"

"Uh...yeah. Is he the guy you were talking about before?"

Rukia didn't answer his question and instead looked Renji right in the eye. "What if he was innocent?"

Renji was taken aback. "Then we should do something about it! But wait-how do you know he was innocent...how do you even know this guy? Didn't that whole mess happen a century ago?"

"We have no proof now, but we will in four years. The true perpetrators of the hollowification crimes were..." Rukia didn't seem to want to make the leap and tell Renji.

"Aizen Sousuke, Ichimaru Gin, and Tousen Kaname." Ichigo finished for her.

Renji stared at him, dumbstruck. "...the hell?" He turned to Rukia. "Is this true? What the hell is going on!?"

Rukia held up a hand. "Please Renji, wait until we finish and keep an open mind about all of this." And then she told him. She said how she'd never become friends with him again, how she was still grieving for her friend and superior's death when she was sent to Karakura Town and when she met Ichigo there and accidently gave him all her powers. She even told him a bit of Ichigo's own history before she went on about the friends she made and the good times she'd had in the human world.

Rukia then went back to Soul Society and illustrated what Aizen was doing while she was on Earth, and his true motives, now made clear from foresight. She told him of her capture and Ichigo's rescue, Aizen's betrayal, and eventually the war that they fought before it took an ugly turn, telling her good friend of his own death before Ichigo took over when she couldn't go on.

Renji just sat quietly and took it all in, frantically trying to keep an open mind despite how much he wanted to denounce the story his childhood friend was telling him. When the two finished telling their story they looked at him expectantly, but Renji was still silent as he continued thinking.

He finally spoke after a few minutes. "That's a pretty elaborate story for you to be pulling my leg with...so either you both are clinically insane or are actually telling the truth. And I know Rukia's not insane or stupid, so that option is out of the question." He chuckled. "This actually makes me feel a bit better."

Rukia gaped at him. "How does knowing that the future is so terrible make you feel better?"

"Well, I was actually worried for a few days that I'd gotten beat by a freshman with no battle experience, but it turns out that you beat Captain Kuchiki, plus you're actually a shinigami disguised as a student!" He leaned back and sniggered a bit more before turning serious. "Really, I can see Ichimaru turning bad, but Captain Aizen is the one I'd least expect. And Tousen! Ugh...it does kind of make sense though...only he would've been able to pull that kind of deception off."

Ichigo scratched the back of his head. "You're taking this much better than I expected."

Renji grinned. "Well, that's because nothing has sunk in yet. Talk to me tomorrow and I'll most likely be the most depressed person you ever met!" He started laughing again and the other two shinigami looked at each other.

"Listen, my kidou is starting to fade so Ichigo had better get back to his dorm. Let's all meet back here tomorrow night, because I don't trust Renji to be able to wait as long as a week to to discuss this all again."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!?"

Rukia just grinned evilly. "You'll know tomorrow."

Ichigo stood up and prepared to shunpo away but stopped and asked Rukia one more question. "How come your kidou-thing lasted so much longer than last week?"

Rukia stared up at him innocently and said, "Well that's because I didn't release it early like last week. Dire circumstances, you know."

"Bitch." Ichigo growled as he quick-stepped back to the boys dorm, leaving Rukia and Renji to discuss a few more things before they, too, parted for the night.

**A/N: And that's that! It might seem a bit rushed, and there may be a few errors, but I wanted to get this chapter out as soon as possible. Also: longest chapter ever! See you next week (hopefully), and please review! **


	14. The Duel for Dual

**A/N:**** Eh...sorry about the long wait. I plead schoolwork and dance rehearsals! But yeah, don't expect an update every week until probably next summer, because I'm so bogged down with work it's unbelievable. Look for this story about once a month and definitely on the breaks from school, like today! Here's one more thing to be thankful for on Thanksgiving: be reassured that I will _not _give up on this story. I sat down yesterday and wrote like a maniac so I could at least give you guys a chapter today.**

**I've been looking forward to this chapter for a long time, so I hope you all like it as well (and maybe you'll finally understand some of the things I've been pushing in earlier chapters.) Read on!**

Chapter 14: The Duel for Dual

Ichigo watched from a tall spire in Yoruichi's hideout as Rukia and Renji sparred in shikai. Today was Friday, that rare day when they managed to get together and practice all day long. Ichigo was feeling particularly restless because the next day was when his class somehow received their zanpaktous. He couldn't wait to finally see Zangetsu again and be rid of that pathetic piece of useless metal called Asuachi. Two months passed since Renji joined them for good, and it had been extremely hard on them all. During the day the three were occupied by their normal duties, and every other waking moment was spent sparring in the hideout since someone was always hanging around. Mainly Renji though, since he still had trouble showing his face in public.

Despite the hard training, life had gotten much more enjoyable for Ichigo and the others after that fateful day when Renji joined the group. Rukia was ecstatic to have someone that she could plan with and talk to on a daily basis, even if Renji got a bit annoyed with her sometimes. They both marveled at how fast Renji was getting better, and thought that he would be up to bankai by the end of the year.

Even school life had gotten more pleasant. Ichigo and his three new friends were in a shaky truce: they wouldn't bother him about his personal life, and he would throw in a few corrections for each of them after zanjutsu class. The three even gave him a few tips on controlling his spiritual energy, even though he still hadn't made that much progress.

He'd also finally gotten through the huge stack of books Rukia and Renji found for him in the library. Ichigo's favorite by far was the book called "The Fool's Guide to Energy Control," since it explained everything he needed to know in a way that seemed to be perfectly tailored to him. The book even made him a bit homesick, since the way it was written reminded him a lot of his own father's antics. He would've liked to know who the author was, but the manual was so old that the name was completely illegible.

Besides his work on energy control, Ichigo learned quite a few new moves from his zanjutsu teacher, Ikoma, and improved a little in kidou, even if he still lacked the finesse to use the proper form of the arts.

Perhaps the biggest mystery was something that otherwise might have seemed insignificant: Ichigo was now taller than Rukia. Growth rate was supposedly cut by a quarter in Soul Society, so why was he growing at such a fast rate? Ichigo suspected his hollow knew something about it, since he was the one to reassure him when he first felt despair about the slow growth rates of Soul Society nearly three months ago.

Ichigo cheered as Renji finally landed a hit on Rukia. She'd been running circles around him, pushing herself to move as fast as she could to drill the importance of dodging into his head. He watched for a few more minutes, then called a time-out because of the late hour. After their usual quick conversation on who should improve what and agreeing when to meet tomorrow they went their separate ways.

Renji was particularly interested in finally seeing Ichigo's zanpaktou the next night, since it would provide some concrete evidence that his friend's story was true. Not that Renji didn't trust the two, he just was still a little reluctant to believe his old captain would betray everyone so easily. He reached his office in another five minutes and snuck in, knowing if he woke anyone along the way he would pay the price. And the price was another bout of humiliation and lowered self-esteem dished out by his comrades.

Rukia pushed herself to shunpo as fast as she could back to her room. All the training she'd been doing lately made her hopeful for the outcome of the war, and it was great to be back with all of her friends again. The shadow of war always loomed over her though, and she was constantly thinking of the best ways to reveal or defeat Aizen. All day long, the questions of how, when, and where were dark threats that reminded her why she had a second chance.

Ichigo casually strode into the Academy, greeting a talented seventh year that he sparred with now and then. The excitement and rumors about him finally died down and he was just another shinigami-in-training. After passing the main hall, central park, and fitness gyms he came in sight of his dorm and shunpoed through the open window. He relaxed on his bed and re-read "The Fool's Guide to Energy Control," thinking about his family and friends in the human world before falling asleep.

--

"This is the first day you all will attempt to awaken your own zanpaktou." First Class's primary instructor faced the large group of fidgeting students, his back to a large cliff dotted with caves. The class murmured excitedly, and Ichigo's new friends looked like they were about to burst in happiness. "Those who fail will continue using Asuachi until they are able to do so, and they should be reminded that while this will not be the only session, they will not be accepted as a shinigami until they have their zanpaktou."

Choshi turned to Ichigo and whispered "We should have a great advantage over the others, being in the meditation class. I'd be surprised if we didn't awaken ours first try, especially you, Kusosaki."

Ichigo nodded, but said "It might not be all about the meditation though. Sure, you can awaken it, but I've read that getting your zanpaktou to tell you it's name can be a hard task, not to mention attaining shikai." Choshi nodded, facing forward with a look of determination on his face.

Meanwhile, the instructor continued speaking. "The caves you see behind me have long been used for meditation, both because of the calming gases they emit and the affect they have on the inner spirit. You will be divided, two to a group, and sent to the chamber assigned..."

--

Ichigo and Choshi slowly climbed into their cave, looking around the gloomy cavern and settling on opposite rocks. Ichigo noticed the slightly tranquil affect the gases that helped him get into the meditating mood, and noted the area for future use.

"Good luck Choshi."

"You as well, Kurosaki-san."

They both closed their eyes and let the quiet, peaceful cave help them succumb to the meditative trance.

"Well well well, look who decided to pop in!" Ichigo looked up from the ground to saw Shirosaki peering down at him, that odd smirk of his across his face.

"Yeah, yeah. Listen, I need to talk to the old man." Ichigo got to his feet and brushed off his robes, before realizing they were a familiar black color. He was happy to see that he was his normal height and build again, and looked around the unusual upside-down world of his, sunlight poking through the scattered clouds. "Wait...what's that?" Ichigo pointed to a figure slumped on a building ledge.

"Ah. Almost forgot about that." The hollow walked over and carried the thing back to Ichigo before he realized it was himself, dressed in the last human clothes he wore. "Turns out ya never actually died in the human world, and you couldn't just leave your body behind, so it followed you here."

Ichigo was vaguely creeped out by the fact that his hollow was holding a lifeless figure of himself. Shirosaki just continued, "This thing'll be pretty useful though. It's a portable gigai, and it's been acceleratin' the growth of your physical body. You should be back to normal in 'bout a year or two."

Ichigo scowled. "So that's what you meant by 'Don't dwell on it too much' a few months ago. You sneaky bastard, you could've told me about this earlier!"

The hollow just rolled his eyes. "In a way I did. Besides, it's your own damn fault for not sensin' the difference in yer own spirit."

"Whatever. I just need to talk to Zangetsu."

Shirosaki laughed. "He's got that whole sword thing sorted out for ya. You always forget that we can hear and see everything that's goin' on out there. I, however, have some official business with you." Ichigo was surprised, though he shouldn't be, because ever since the 'incident' the hollow had been much more reasonable. "Zangetsu wants to talk to you later, but he was considerate enough to let me do this now."

"I said a long time ago that 'If you truly want to master my power, at least stay alive until I appear again.' Well, as you know some 'events' happened that paused our little feud." Ichigo tensed. _Does he seriously want to..._ "Not that I'd take it up again...but my offer still stands, since you're clearly both seeing me and are alive." Shirosaki took the sword off his back and plunged it into the building between them.

Ichigo was still confused. "So what's your point?"

"It's simple. You fight me. If you win, I'll give back the power that I stole from you before you even knew I existed." He tapped his fingers on the white Zangetsu.

Ichigo smiled, then unraveled his own Zangetsu. "You're on." He hadn't had a real good fight in a very long time, and knew Shirosaki wouldn't hold back for anything.

--

Ichigo woke from his trance with a start, not exerted at all from the fight he'd just barely won. He looked around the gloomy cave and noticed that Choshi was still meditating. _He'll be fine_, he thought, and finally noticed what he was holding. "What the hell?"

Instead of one, two swords were in his hands, their sheaths criss-crossed on his back. He carefully examined the one in his right hand. Somehow he knew it was Zangetsu, but otherwise he wouldn't have recognized it for anything. _This must be Zangetsu's unreleased form_, he thought. The hilt was wrapped in black fabric and the handguard was a circle, carved out on one side and closed on the other. The blade was nothing special, not the gigantic sword he was used to of his released forms.

He looked at the other blade and knew, the same as he had with Zangetsu, that this sword was entirely different. The only physical difference was that the handguard was reversed, but..._This definitely isn't Zangetsu_.

_'Of course not, stupid.'_ Ichigo jumped and almost dropped the two blades. _'That one's mine. That's what you were fighting me for. It's a great compromise, right? When you use that sword, you'll be fighting with me, and you know what that means? No more endless boredom! I don't even have to control your body to have a good brawl!'_

Ichigo's mood lightened considerably. Even though he knew the chance was small after the 'incident', there had always been the ominous thought that the hollow might try to take over his body again. _Wait...so if this isn't Zangetsu...what's its name? You don't have a name...but a zanpaktou has to have a name._

_'I don't have a name.'_ But there was something about the hollow's voice when he said it that for the first time Ichigo didn't entirely believe him.

_You have a name. And it's not Shirosaki. What's your name? What's this zanpaktou's name?_

The hollow sighed._ 'Well...fighting won't be that much fun for me if I don't tell you....fine. I have a name. Had it since the 'incident'. It's...'_

"Luna del Corte," Ichigo whispered as he stared at the second zanpaktou.

--

Another ten minutes passed before Choshi shifted and a long zanpaktou materialized in his hand, the sheath appearing at this side. "Yes!" he yelled out and pumped the blade in the air before remembering there was someone else in the room. "Gah! Sorry Kurosaki-san."

"It's fine, I've done that too. Congrats."

Choshi grinned. "Thank you! I see you've..." His eyes widened as he spotted the blades on Ichigo's back. "You've...got _two_ zanpaktou?"

Ichigo stepped back. "Eh? Well, yeah, but that happens for some people...right?"

Choshi just stared at him in disbelief. "It's quite common in shikai or bankai, but the only known shinigami with two zanpaktou in the unreleased state are the captains of the Eighth and Thirteenth Divisions." He shook his head. "But that's not what I'm saying. Why do you have two _separate_ zanpaktou?"

"Huh? What do you mean-"

"Those are not two halves of the same zanpaktou, those are two completely different zanpaktou. I can barely pick out the difference, but it's there."

Ichigo growled in annoyance. "Ugh. Listen, I don't know what's so weird about me, alright? Things like this always happen to me. Just don't tell anyone else, got it?" Choshi didn't look very happy but agreed. "Can I see your zanpaktou?"

"Oh! Sure." The two traded for a moment and Ichigo examined Choshi's. All-in-all the sword was your basic sword, except the blade was almost as long as Ichigo's bankai and its handguard looked like ripples of water. "The handguards of your zanpaktou almost look like two half-moons, so maybe they aren't as different as I thought," Choshi mumbled before he handed the blades back to Ichigo.

"We'd better get going," Choshi said as he walked to the opening of the cave. He turned back and grinned "I can't believe we both made it! And on the first try! It's incredible...we're real shinigami now..." He stared at the zanpaktou on his hip in disbelief.

Ichigo chuckled and hopped out of the cave before Choshi recovered, quickly returning to the group. About three-quarters of their classmates already returned, and Ichigo and Choshi were immediately greeted by Minobe.

"You did it!" She hugged them both, causing Choshi to blush and Ichigo to squirm.

"Congratulations Minobe-san." Choshi said as he pointed to the short sword on her waist.

"Thanks! Do you guys know if Terada is-"

"Back yet? Hi guys. I knew you would succeed!" Terada walked up to the group and patted the curved zanpaktou at her side. "Eh? Why does Kurosaki have two?"

Minobe gasped and ran around Ichigo to look at his zanpaktou. "Wow Kurosaki-kun! Your zanpaktou manifested into two swords! That's so unique!"

Ichigo let out a breath of relief._ Good, Choshi is the only one that notices the two separate spirits. Life would be so much easier if he wasn't around... _"It's not so great, actually. I'm gonna have to learn an entirely new style of fighting on my own..."

Minobe frowned. "Yeah. That kinda sucks for you."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks for your helpful encouragement."

Choshi clutched his head and groaned. "Ouch. The sudden increase in everyone's spiritual energy is giving me a headache. Especially you, Kurosaki-san. Could you turn it down?"

Ichigo frowned. "This is as low as it goes."

Choshi groaned again. "Guess I'm going to have to live with this."

--

"What the hell do you mean by 'a slight problem!?' _Please_ tell me that you have Zangetsu back again!" Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji were back in Yoruichi's Hideout as Ichigo tried to tell them calmly and rationally what occurred earlier. Instead, Renji was slowly backing away as Rukia ground her teeth together and her hand curled into a fist.

Ichigo swiftly backtracked "Of course I do, stupid! The problem is _this_!" Ichigo pulled the swords off his back and tapped them together.

"Whoa! You've got two!" Ichigo glared at Renji for stating the obvious.

"Oh _no_." Rukia stared horrified at the blades. "How the hell are you supposed to-in such a short time-_shit_."

"Yeah."

Renji looked confused. "What's the big problem? So he isn't used to fighting with two swords. Just have him battle Captain Ukitake or Captain Shunsui for a while and he'll get the hang of it."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, let's just learn a new way to fight to replace the old one you've been using for two years. You're the _Mimic Prodigy_, of course you can handle it." He sighed. "I'm sure it's better than just one in the long run, but this majorly sets back our plans...I'm almost afraid to see much how my shikai and bankai have changed."

Rukia just sighed and shook her head. "Tell me the whole story." Ichigo did, from the time he met with his hollow again up to when he arrived at the hideout. Rukia was looking extremely pensive and Renji scratched his head.

"Lemme get this straight," he said, "there was a problem with you being short, but that was fixed because you've got your old human body stuck in your soul and it's making you grow faster...your spiritual energy was lower than it used to be, but that was fixed when you got Zangetsu, not to mention it's increasing even more because of this new zanpaktou...you pretty much have to join the Eighth or Thirteenth Divisions because of the new sword-fighting style you have to learn so that gets rid of the whole 'infiltrate the enemy divisions' plan...we still don't know the effects of your hollow's contact with the fully awakened Hougyoku-"

Rukia gasped. "Ichigo! That's it!" He raised an eyebrow. "_That's_ what happened! _That's_ what he did! He couldn't have known...but he just made it worse for himself in the end!" Rukia started laughing hysterically, and the other two shinigami stared at her like she'd gone mad. "I-Ichigo, don't you get it? With the Hougyoku, Aizen didn't hurt you, he _helped_ you! You said your inner hollow is more logical and reasonable...that zanpaktou...'Luna del Corte.' Ichigo, it's _spanish_." Ichigo's eyes went wide. "Yes, Ichigo, you don't just have an inner _hollow_ anymore."

"_Arrancar_," he whispered.

**A/N_ Edit_: I can't thank you all enough for your help with the second sword's name, but unfortunately before I went to change it I decided to do a Software Update on my computer. And my Macbook's hard drive got corrupted. And it died (the cause even baffled the people at the Apple Store). So here I am now, a week after this chapter was released with none of my art, notes, chapter ideas, and outlines. I'm not changing the name because this chapter has been out too long, so it would only serve to confuse people.**

**Again, thanks for all your help and reviews (I'll reply to them ASAP), and I'll see you soon with the next chapter. After I reinstall ****everyt****hing._ Augh!!!_**


End file.
